Stephanie's Gamble
by Alfonsina.d
Summary: Snowed in on New Year's the Rangeman Crew has a friendly poker game. The Conclusion. It is a little angsty at first - please read through to the end. There is an HEA. Alf.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing.**_

_**Spoilers: Possibly all the books but probably none.**_

_**Content: Strictly a Language Issue (but not harsh)**_

_**This is my first try at fanfic so please be kind. **_

_**Thanks to Jaimie (she's got high hopes) and Kate (My Mini Obsession) for their support and editorial powers!**_

Stephanie's Gamble

Chapter 1

Well, crap……..I wasn't even trying this time and I felt like I have really stepped into it.

I mean I had my eyes wide open looking for something to go wrong and I didn't see it headed my way. Again.

I got up from my desk at work and went to the powder room so I could re-appraise myself.

After going the long way to the elevator, pushing the button to the seventh floor and dragging my feet until I reached the door, I knocked on the door, unlocked it and opened it slowly, I needed to be alone to do this.

I called out, "Is everybody in here decent?"

When no response came, I entered the apartment. What? So it isn't really the powder room, it is the apartment of my boss, Ranger Manoso, but hey, it does have a powder room in it. That counts, right?

I slowly made my way into the room, turned on the lights and closed the door. It was time to talk to the (wo)man in the mirror.

"Stephanie Plum," I told myself, "you are either going to make yourself proud or your mother is going to iron every unattached item in the county in a six month period of time. What made you think you could play poker on New Year's Eve with Ranger and the Merry Men and actually win?"

This year there had been numerous warnings about the weather for New Year's Eve and the company, Rangeman, had no jobs lined up for that night so it was somehow determined that we would stay in like "family" and entertain ourselves. Turns out there was a problem with "like family" and "entertain ourselves". For crying out loud, these guys think that unless shots are fired or someone breaks a limb that the evening has been a waste of time! Me, some Ben and Jerry's and an old movie would have been entertaining enough this year; it had been a long year.

Knowing that the weather wasn't going to cooperate with the broken limb stuff or high speed chases, the guys outvoted me and a poker game was decided upon. It was going to be played for matches or pennies, so I thought. I had a huge jar at home with all of my pennies in it and I had multiple matchbooks from all of the distraction jobs I have done for Ranger so I thought I would be covered.

I had volunteered to help Ella with tidying up the conference room and even making snacks for the game. The fearsome foursome, Lester, Tank, Bobby and Hector, took up a collection and actually paid me, yes paid me, to do something else. Just because they got food poisoning from the potato salad I made for last summer's company picnic was just a coincidence. It was not a lot of money to them, $400, but it would make a big dent in next month's rent, so I didn't whine too much about the fuss they were making.

I looked back into the mirror and said to myself, "Ok, you've made your bets, and lost, now it is time to honor them." Yikes, when was I ever going to grow up? I was going to have to go back downstairs soon, I just wasn't really sure I was going to be able to cope with what I knew would surely be coming next.

The evening had started out amiably enough although it was not a good sign when they moved the location of the game from the conference room to Ranger's living room for "privacy". Ranger claimed he didn't want the guys who were still working to monitor the cameras in the conference room and relay information back to the highest paying player. I knew Ranger knew he had never planned to keep the game downstairs when I saw his place. It had a special table, all the cards, chips and other goodies set up like a casino. Probably I should have taken this as a warning. Oh well.

Ranger, the fearsome foursome and I told bad jokes, drank a little beer and ate too much of Ella's good cooking. Now, I love poker, always have, but poker doesn't love me. I mean I can read the cards and other people's body language; that doesn't mean I can guard or hide mine. All of them, on the other hand, have very practiced blank faces that double as poker faces when a card game is involved. I never even thought I was going to be out of my league.

One of my proudest childhood memories was that I was daddy's little girl. As such, Daddy took me to the Elk's Club and the VFW to watch him play cards with the boys. I wasn't so good at keeping out of trouble just by watching, so my dad taught me to play.

What? So poker and poker face aren't my special skills, I knew it would be no problem as long as it was a match or penny game. What could go wrong, I could lose twenty or thirty dollars in pennies and a couple hundred books of matches, right? Wrong. Lester swiped all of my matchbooks when I got settled, he claimed that since none of the boys or I smoked, they really weren't that valuable. I was OK with that until I heard the smart ass go on about "keeping a promise to Smokey the Bear."

After the second hour was over, half of my pennies were gone and so was some of my self awareness. Hey I am a cheap drunk, two or three good beers and I am done for the night. I guess the happier I become in the course of an evening, the more flirty I become and the less aware I am of my surroundings. I was with people I liked, trusted and respected, I shouldn't have to be aware of my surroundings with them, should I?

It didn't take Hector, Lester, Tank or Ranger very long to not only figure out my tells but to discuss them in depth with each other in Spanish. Bobby and Tank don't speak much Spanish but they have been around these bozos enough to figure out the high points. Besides, one of the terrible trio would need to do something in the kitchen that only Tank or Bobby could help with through the evening, so I figure they each spelled it out for them then. One of these days I am really going to learn how to say more than taco or burro. Wait, I just learned churro the other day, but then again how I am not going to learn about a doughnut like substance?

This was Ranger's game, his place and his rules, if he decided to change the rules we either had to agree or fold for the night. _Somebody_ wanted to raise the stakes to the game; _he_ wanted the game to be "more interesting". I should have gone home right then and there. Yup, packed up my pennies and my pride and taken myself home. I never did listen to that Jimminy Cricket voice in my head that says, "Stephanie, for God's sake girl LEAVE!" Nope, not me, not once, not in my lifetime; I mean I hear the voice all of the time but don't believe it until it is too late.

Ranger and the boys have all known each other forever, they all knew this part of the evening was coming and they didn't bother to warn me. They are troublemakers, every last one of them and I was going to have to live with it.

There was plenty of light banter around the table as the cards were dealt, played and pots won. Lots of inconsequential conversation that was totally out of their regular every day personas.

Bobby told bad jokes from his childhood. He told us that when he was eight he hated to read. In desperation, his mother paid for any book he wanted to read and actually could prove to her that he had read. What did Bobby like - jokes. How did he prove to his mother that he actually read the joke books she bought? He memorized the awful things and then told them for years. I have nothing against third grade humor, sometimes, but from a 32 year old man who doesn't have kids of his own? A puzzlement.

Tank offered very little, he was as always very much the quiet man. It isn't that Tank is boring, but he didn't think the rest of us wanted to discuss art history and how far you need to be from an impressionistic painting to see more than just the dots. I mean it is great that he knows Van Gough had a funky disease that made everything he saw look yellow, but it really wasn't polite poker conversation. I guess it is best that Tank keep some of his inner knowings and knowledge to himself.

Hector wanted to "expand my vocabulary" by teaching me some new words in Spanish, like "besame" (kiss me) or "te sigo amando" (I'm falling in love with you). Those I couldn't repeat worth a darn, I could get out some of the swear words, but now is not the time to extol upon those. Ranger slumped in his chair when he figured out I could tell someone to "go to hell and enjoy the trip" not a proud moment for Ranger, a very proud moment for Hector and for me. Too bad that feeling didn't last for very long.

Other than the vocabulary lessons from Hector, sitting next to him had some definite advantages. He would not let me open my own bottles of beer. He wouldn't even let me drink out of a bottle of beer because, "ladies drink from glasses." He pulled my chair out for me if I needed to get up and when I returned. He always asked if I needed something when he went to get something for himself. Hector's manners were those of a true gentleman. Why is it that the ones with the manners always seem to be gay?

Lester tried out some of his newest pick up lines on me to see if they would work. Variations of many of them the guys had used and struck out with, but they wanted him to try them out on me and see if I was immune too. It went well, I passed judgment, didn't snort any soda or beer out my nose and didn't turn too red. Except once, Lester whispered one to me while playing with my ear and touching my neck; I got flustered, blushed and stammered. I nodded in agreement and then I smiled while I kissed Lester on the cheek. Ranger was less than happy with this development.

"Santos! Leave the table and join me, NOW!" growled Ranger.

Lester turned his cards over and joined Ranger in the next room. They didn't close the door and they didn't keep their voices low.

"Lester, what the hell did you do to her? I can't even get that response from her!" said Ranger.

"Bossman, it is like this, I told her how happy she makes me just being herself, that she lights up the room when she walks into it."

"What did you say to her to get her to kiss you on the cheek?" he asked, not pleased with the compliments aimed at my direction.

"I told her that I was thinking about getting my own hamster and I wanted to clean Rex's cage for a month."

"That's it?" Ranger asked, puzzled.

"That's it boss."

When they returned to the table, we all tried to look like we hadn't heard anything and that everything was normal. Santa must have issued passports to Denial Land to us all this year, since we all pretended nothing happened out of the ordinary. I am hoping Santa is giving frequent flyer miles to Denial Land this year too, I have a feeling I am going to need them. Hmm, maybe I can get a free trip to Bermuda with those frequent flier miles; a worthy possibility for my next daydream. Yep, me and the Merry Men in Bermuda drinking cold stuff with umbrellas … me admiring their lovely forms in their teenie tiny bathing suits.

"Steph! Are you going to play or not, you're up!" Bobby said.

"I'm in, promise, I'm in," I said.

I liked tonight, I was content, I was happy, I was well fed, I was in good company, I was being lulled into a comfort zone of bliss and the inability to be aware of my surroundings.

Anyway, if Bruce Wayne/Batman has more than enough money to live in the mansion with all the toys, technology and Alfred, then Ranger has that much squared (I may not know how much that really is, but I know that it is a lot more than I can even think about). Jeez.

Because of Ranger's income, I knew money wasn't going to mean anything to him in terms of "interesting". Trouble was, I had no idea what Ranger's idea of "more interesting" stakes was. For all I knew, and hoped, it would be butt numbing surveillance at a Miami beach, or a breaking and entering contest for the guys, maybe even an obstacle course. I really hoped it wasn't going to be strip poker, I hadn't dressed in layers and the guys all seemed to be. Yep, that's me queen of the backup plan and princess of reviewing other people's motivations, not.

When did things seriously go wrong for me? I know exactly when. It was when Ranger intoned, "Gentlemen and lady, I have a proposal for you." I should have run right then and there.

My eyes were still open, my ears weren't plugged or covered, my minor beer buzz immediately vanished. I was still awake but I was incapable of comprehending what was going on around me. Everything was fuzzy and in slow motion and none of it made sense.

Ranger had finished his little soliloquy and declared a break. The fearsome foursome had huge grins on their faces, like they had just gotten to throw someone out the window or something. They were laughing, slapping each other on the back and couldn't get a grip on themselves; I, on the other hand, was in a stupor.

The biggest loser wasn't going to get a reward like they do on that TV show. The biggest loser was going to have to make good on everyone else's bets. They were going to be paid back from lowest loss to highest loss, and at regular intervals. There were only a few things that were clear to me at that moment.

1. It wasn't going to cost the loser any money out of his or her own pocket.

2. Everyone had to be able to witness the outcome.

3. It had to be a PG rated act with no nudity or violence towards animals or small children

4. There would be no need to involve the authorities or the newspapers

5. In the event of unforeseen publicity a Mulligan, like in golf, entitling a "do over" could not be claimed and the debt was considered satisfied

Hey, I had over 20 years of card playing experience with my dad's buddies; I had been holding my own so far in tonight's game. I always came out OK with the guys down at the hall and we had been doing it for years, just not as regularly as when I was in junior high.

I think all I really heard was, "blah blah blah no money out of pocket, blah blah blah PG rated" and that's about it. I crossed myself and then promised God that if I walked away with my dignity intact I would be a better person, I would start to listen to the inner voice and I would cut back on pineapple upside-down cake. I guess it wasn't enough.

When Ranger spoke again, it was something about having a specific task or consequence for everyone at the table. Only one of us would be the ultimate winner and only one of us would be the biggest loser. We needed to take time out to think about what we each wanted the other one to do in the event he (or she) was the biggest loser.

Good lord, Ranger was prepared, he even handed out pencils and paper to each of us to write these things down on. He wanted each of us to have our own ideas and not to be influenced by anyone else.

The guys immediately started to write. I asked Ranger if I could use his room so I could get into my thinking position on the bed for five or ten minutes. All the guys groaned and said something about special treatment, but I got what I wanted. I went into his room, took off my sneakers and got on the bed. I was out in 30 seconds. Crap.

I didn't even know I was out until I started to hear a sing song whisper in my ear, "Oh Stephanie, oh Stephanie. Come on Bombshell, it is time to lose to me."

"Go away Bobby, I am just resting my eyes," I moaned.

"Bomber, come on girl, time to move it and lose it. We don't have all night to do this," said Tank.

"Tankie, you can just call Lula for a couple of minutes. She knows you can't see her tonight, maybe she'll give you something to plan on for the New Year until I can get my butt unglued from this bed," I said.

"Querida, it is time to get up. We can only be gentlemen and wait for you for so long," whispered Hector.

"Steph, it is not nice to be tease anyone unless you are a hair dresser at a beauty pageant. Now come on time to go. MOVE IT!" exclaimed Lester.

"Babe, I know how much you like my sheets and I know how much you like to be in my bed," whispered Ranger, "but if you don't get a move on now and get back in the game you default to us all, not that I mind but it takes the fun out of it. Now if you want a better reason to stay in my bed, I can give you one," Ranger promised as a very suspicious smile grew on his face.

With that last comment, I was off the bed like someone had taken one of the confiscated matches to my butt and lit the damned thing. I mean I like the idea of _that_ with Ranger, but not because I either lost at poker or wound up here for the night by default.

"Alright already, jeeze you guys. You would think you had never seen a girl think before. Cripes."

"Babe, do you have your task for each of us, because we won't start without it."

"You weren't kidding, were you Ranger," I asked.

"Babe," Ranger said, "I don't kid about the important things and this is one of the important things."

"Shove over a piece of paper and pencil. No peaking you guys."

I began to scribble, it was just one line on one piece of paper, but I was proud and smug, not a good combination for this group. They all had practice at being both proud and smug; they had things to be proud and smug about. I on the other hand didn't want to remain so well known for my ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Years and years ago there was a movie called "East of Eden" that Rosie O'Donnell was in. Anyway, she is an undercover agent for somebody to this island where any of your desires or fantasies could and would be fulfilled. The crux of it was, there was somebody there who really liked Rosie's character and volunteered to do anything for her, fulfill any fantasy she had no matter what it was. A powerful thing to promise any woman, especially one in a smallish leather outfit. At the end of the movie she called him on it, she wanted him to paint her house – that was her fantasy. So that was my task, any Merry Man who was the biggest loser was going to have to paint my parents' house while Grandma Mazur was home! How perfect is this?!

You know how you can tell when things change? Usually my spidey sense goes off and I take note then. This was a more drastic change. The techno music that had been playing in the background changed to some kind of a soft jazzy blues. The lights were dimmed except directly over the table. The food was cleared. Sleeves were rolled up. Smiles were replaced one by one with those damn blank faces. No more joking, no more small talk, no more flirting. It was time to play serious poker.

Wait a minute, back up the freaking truck!

Hadn't we all been playing our best games so far and having a good time? Evidently NOT. I mean, I had been playing my best game. I played the game the only way I knew how. I had no idea you could play this game at many sneaky, snarky levels. I kind of looked at poker like I looked at driving; you pay attention to what you are doing and pray the guy around you is paying attention to what he is doing and if all things are right in God's universe, you get from point A to point B without anyone getting hurt. Hey, it was good enough for my driver's ed teacher so it was good enough for me.

These guys wanted to become the Atlantic City High Rollers or something; this game had become a mission critical thing. Cripes, I saw when the light went on and I wasn't home. These guys didn't drive like me, at all. They were always aware of their surroundings and the drivers around them – probably more than anyone I knew, including the cops. It never occurred to me that they would play poker the same way … morph from being like regular folks, sort of, and then into Gone in 60 Seconds or the Fast and the Furious mode. Oh boy.

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	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing.**_

_**Spoilers: Possibly all the books but probably none.**_

_**Content: Strictly a Language Issue (but not harsh)**_

_**This is my first try at fanfic so please be kind. **_

_**Thanks to Kate (My Mini Obsession) for her support and editorial powers!**_

_**Thanks to Jaime (She's Got High Hopes) for creating the poker game! This story could never have been written without you!**_

**Stephanie's Gamble**

Chapter 2 The Poker Game 

I watched in trepidation as Ranger pulled a dealer button out of nowhere and set it down in front of him.

"The name of the game is Texas Hold 'Em," he announced, shuffling a new deck of cards. I swallowed hard. Jeeze Louise, where in the world did that deck of cards come from? In the past I had thought of Ranger as being "magic" but was he literally pulling things out of his ass now?

"Does everybody know the rules?" He asked, his eyes boring holes into me. I could barely manage to nod as the Merry Men all _in unison _muttered that they understood.

"Good," Ranger began dealing cards until everybody had two. "The specialty rules are as follows. Each penny equals one point. All of us will start out with 100 points. A player will be eliminated when he or she is out of points. The last two players will play for the remaining points. The last player to lose is the biggest loser, since they lost their points and the points accumulated from the previous players, and therefore will have to follow through with the requests that were written earlier. Any questions?"

_Oh Good Lord!_ I thought, swallowing harder than before. _Since when did Ranger become a casino pit boss?_ Joe could look like a casino pit boss when he dressed up, but I never thought of Ranger this way. Crap. The sudden change in Ranger was unnerving.

"Big blinds start at two points," Ranger added. We all nodded.

Bobby was sitting at Ranger's left. He threw in one penny, since he had the small blind. Everybody else threw in two pennies. I remember looking at my cards. A two of clubs and a three of spades. With my best blank face, I threw in my two cents.

Ranger added his bet and dealt the Flop: a two of hearts, an Ace of diamonds, and a nine of clubs. Bobby checked and beside him, Tank bet two cents. Everybody else put in two pennies except for Hector, who folded. When Bobby matched the bet, Ranger dealt the "Turn". A three of clubs. I bit my lip and tried to keep blank face. So far, I had two pair. If Ranger dealt a two or a three on the River, I would have a Full House. Bobby and Tank both checked and Lester raised the bet by three pennies. I matched the bet and raised two more pennies. Ranger met my bet and Bobby and Tank both folded. Lester met the bet and raised it by another penny. Ranger and I had both matched the bet before Ranger dealt the River.

_Holy hell!_ I fought to maintain blank face. A two of spades. I had a Full House!

Lester bet two pennies. I raised Lester five pennies. Ranger just stared at my face for a second, his gaze intense. His lips twitched slightly and he threw down his cards.

"I fold," he said.

Now it was Lester's turn to study my face. I did my best in the fight for control, I gave him my best bored look, but inside, my heart was pounding so hard I was surprised he couldn't see it through my shirt. Lester raised an eyebrow and gave me his sexiest grin.

"I raise you five points," he said, tossing five pennies into the pot.

I returned the grin. "I call your five and raise you ten."

A chorus of "Aww hell" and "Don't do it, man" sounded but I managed to keep my bored face intact. Lester's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out if was bluffing. After a minute, he shrugged and tossed the pennies into the pot.

"Call," he said in his sexiest voice.

I proudly laid out my cards. A flash of surprise crossed Lester's face and was quickly replaced with a pained look.

"Damn, Bombshell," he groaned, setting his own cards down. Two pair. The guys began to laugh. I eagerly reached out and proudly collected my winnings.

For me, the rest of the night went fairly well. I was playing better than ever before. Before long, Lester was eliminated, you know what they say about false pride, hmmmm wonder what else Lester is bluffing about? The next eliminated were Hector and Bobby. The pennies were equally distributed between Ranger and me, except for a tiny pile in front of Tank. Soon, Tank was eliminated.

_Yes, another one bites the dust!_ I thought to myself. It was all I could do not to dance in my seat when Tank "hit the road Jack!" This game was turning into more fun than I ever would have guessed!

"I'm impressed, Babe," Ranger said, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Never underestimate me," I said bravely. Thinking back, maybe that fourth beer hadn't been such a good idea. Maybe I was getting too cocky. Nah, my luck was going to hold. Right?

Ranger just grinned and dealt the cards, it wasn't the standard issue wolf grin, but it was predatory all the same. I remember looking down. An eight and a nine, both spades. I was hoping for at least a flush, I put in the big blind, which was up to ten pennies by this time. Ranger threw in the small blind and dealt the Flop. A four of spades, a ten of hearts, and a Queen of hearts. I checked and Ranger bet twenty five pennies. Giving him my best bored look, I called his bet. With a grin, Ranger dealt the Turn. A two of spades. I checked again and Ranger bet fifty pennies. Thinking he was just bluffing, I called his bet and raised him a hundred pennies. Ranger called MY bet without batting an eyelash.

It could go two ways for me. If he dealt a spade on the River, I would have a Flush. If he dealt a Jack, I would have a Straight. In my terms, this was a sure thing! I was privately getting ready to do the Snoopy Dance.

Ranger dealt the Jack of Hearts on the River. I was ready to fly out of my seat, but managed to stay grounded. It was not time to dance yet. I forced my bored face, and bet another hundred. Ranger grinned, and he called my bet and raising me fifteen more. Calling his bet put me all in and I did it gladly, thinking about how great it would be to watch Ranger painting my parents' house and fending off a hormonal Grandma Mazur. I could just picture it now.

"Call," I said smugly. Ranger just grinned and set down his hand. The smug look melted off of my face as I got a good look at his cards.

Shit.

An Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and a ten. All hearts.

He had a Royal Flush.

I was the biggest loser…

Crap. Thoughts of Ranger in house painting duds were rapidly fading from my mind being replaced with uncertainty.

Ranger rose from the table effectively concluding the night's festivities. Nuts, his predatory smile was growing. It isn't a smile I had seen much, but I was beginning to feel like I was a caged animal and I knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Gentlemen and lady," Ranger intoned smugly, "due to the lateness of the hour, the subject of the debt will be handled on the next business day during a private lunch. Lunch will be catered in house, nothing fancy. At the conclusion of lunch, we will finalize this evening's business."

The rest of us took our cue from the host and also rose. The guys were whispering to themselves and looked pretty danged serious about it. Then they approached me one at a time.

"Steph," Hector whispered, "I promise, it won't be that bad." Then he kissed me on the cheek.

"Patron, I am going to go. Thanks for the game." Hector directed to Ranger.

"Hector, we'll see you morning after next. Thanks for coming. All of you, thanks for coming. I can't remember a more satisfying New Year's Eve for a long, long time," Ranger said smiling from ear to ear.

"Beautiful, you did well. See ya soon," Lester said as he kissed my cheek.

"Bye handsome, see you later," I said to Lester.

"Bomber, never knew you had it in you. Remind me not to play against you unless I know if the cards are marked," Bobby said quietly.

"We both know the decks weren't marked, don't we? Besides, it was just friendly betting. Thanks for letting me play," I said. Bobby kissed me on the cheek in reply.

"Most interesting game I've played in a long time, Steph. I am really glad you came. As far as I'm concerned, we should do this on a regular basis. I had forgotten how much fun a friendly card game could be," Tank said as he leaned in to deposit a kiss on my cheek.

One by one, each Merry Man headed to the fourth floor to his own apartment.

When it was just the two of us, Ranger said, "Babe, as usual you don't disappoint. I have never had a more interesting game of poker. Maybe Tank is right and we should make this at least a monthly thing so we can all keep our skills sharp."

"Same players and same rules, Batman?" I asked.

"Most likely same players, probably same rules, definitely not the same pot at the end. We will go back to the penny pots, less to worry about the next day."

"Worry about, worry about? What are you talking about, Ranger?" I whined.

"It isn't what you think, I just know that this was a special game and had to have a special pot. From here on in, it will just be pennies and the joy of rolling pennies. I promise. Hey, don't I get my New Year's kiss? Looks like you stocked up from the guys."

"I am sure any of them would have kissed you on the cheek if you had just asked them, Ranger. But if you'd really like …"

Before I could finish the sentence, he snatched me into his arms and kissed me with one of those kisses you see in the movies. You know the kind, soft and slow to begin with and steadily picking up passion and promising a lack of clothing sooner than later. We never did get to the lack of clothing part of the kiss because Ranger's cell phone went off.

In under five words he was headed to the comm. room to save society from something or another and I was headed off to the 4th floor apartment that was held in reserves for me. It was time for my beauty sleep anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing.**_

_**Spoilers: Possibly all the books but probably none.**_

_**Content: Strictly a Language Issue (but not harsh)**_

_**This is my first try at fanfic so please be kind. **_

_**Thanks to Jaime (She's Got High Hopes) and Kate (My Mini Obsession) for their support and editorial powers!**_

**Stephanie's Gamble**

Chapter 3 The Consequences

'Flashback to reality for a second here Plum. You've got to get a grip. It doesn't matter what you did to get here, you are here now. It is time to go back downstairs to have lunch with the boys and face the music,' I told myself.

I gave myself another glance at the reflection in the mirror, patted down my hair, wiped down the counter top and reluctantly left the apartment. I walked even more slowly to the elevator this time than the last, I felt like "dead woman walking." I pushed the button and I returned to the comm. center and my cubicle.

I worked for another half an hour and was getting more and more anxious; lunchtime was approaching and I was uncomfortably attempting to get back to Denial Land.

Maybe the guys would let lunch pass and then we wouldn't have the meeting to settle the bets from the poker extravaganza. Maybe they were all on diets as their New Year's resolutions and wouldn't want to do lunch. Maybe Rex would be declared King of the World and I would never have to work again.

Right, not even I could believe that.

I don't even think I had a chance to have my passport stamped or the visa renewed when my trip to Denial Land was so abruptly ended. It wasn't even ended by a newer or better fantasy. Nope. At 12:01 Lester had sauntered over to my desk and stood there, just stood there with a stupid grin on his face.

"Bomber, do you know what time it is?" he asked grinning like a fool and eyebrows dancing.

"Les, I think it depends on what time zone you are in. Right now I think it is 10:00 in Indianapolis, it is 8:00 in San Francisco. Why do you ask? Do you want me to reset your watch?" I asked, praying that he really didn't want to go there. I couldn't reset his watch and we both knew it; it took a PhD from MIT to even get his watch out of the box. We both knew I was stalling and we both knew why.

"Steph, get it together, it won't be that bad. It's just lunch it's not a trip to a third world country, unless you really want that."

Sighing, I said, "All right already, let's go. Let's get this thing over with."

"Bomber, you wound me, you really do. Just remember, you knew the rules of engagement and agreed to them," Lester said with a wink.

Initially, I walked beside him heading to the conference room. The further we got down the hall the further behind him I got. Finally he stopped and waited for me knowing that if I got out of sight I was going to attempt the great escape out of the building.

"Steph, we may have to get you a new nickname. How do you feel about 'Captain Slow'?"

Lester and I entered the conference room together to find that Ella had outdone herself. The lunch spread was enough to feed a small army. Mental head slap, this is a small army. All of the guys from the poker game were here and no one else was going to be allowed in until this "lunch meeting" was adjourned.

I joined the line and loaded up my plate. It was all good and healthy stuff, but what I really needed was a Tastycake and a Coke. Sugar is no substitute for an extra coat of mascara, but it would have helped.

As a group, we were comfortable together. I knew Ranger told the guys that he didn't want to make this any tougher on me than it was already going to be, so conversation was light. We successfully avoided discussion of the actual purpose of the meeting.

When we were done with lunch, I took Ranger aside. "Hey Ranger," I started.

"Yeah, Babe."

"Actually Ranger, it's like this. Most of my screw ups won't live forever in the form of a recording because it's usually just a really limited audience, you know, just me and the skip. I'd like to know if you would be willing to kill the cameras in the room while we do this thing."

"Sure thing, Babe," he said with a smile. He dug his remote out of his pocket and scrambled the cameras for me. He asked, "Is there anything else I can do to make this better for you."

"Yeah, actually there is. Can you round up all of the cell phones from the guys? I mean they all have camera/video phones and I really don't want any documented proof of the rest of this meeting."

"Do you think that will make you more comfortable? I can think of a lot of other things that might make you a lot more comfortable." he replied with a wicked grin.

"Really, I think that's all for now," I said shyly.

"Gentlemen," came Ranger's voice, loudly enough to carry across the room, "there has been a request from Stephanie that there be no recordings of any kind of this meeting. Please place your cell phones and other electronic devices on the corner table at the back of the room."

"Man, what do you think we are? We have more manners than to make a video of this to watch later," Bobby said. Bobby placed his camera, digital voice recorder and some kind of credit card something or other on the table.

Tank said, "I am a scholar and a gentleman, I have no alternative electronic devices of any kind on my person; not that I wouldn't wanna, but I promise I don't." With that, Tank placed his cell phone and digital voice recorder on the table.

"It's my job to do the electronics, Patron," said Hector, "but if you want what I have, it is all yours." Hector took out two phones, several digital voice recorders, more of the credit cards looking things, a bunch of wires and some stuff that looked like buttons. It looked like Hector had cleaned out the stock room at Spies R Us.

"All right, all ready. All right all ready," mumbled Lester. "Do I really gotta? I mean her reactions would make some great footage to watch when there isn't much on the monitors."

"Yeah, you have to Santos," Ranger intoned.

Lester gave up his phone, put a bundle that had been inside his sweatshirt pocket and his baseball cap onto the pile.

"Ranger," I said, "it's your turn."

"Babe, I don't know what you could possibly mean. It's my turn?" Ranger said.

"It's your turn to put all of your gizmos and whiz-bang gadgets onto the table just like everyone else."

"But Babe, I know you really didn't mean me now did you?" Ranger asked looking sheepish.

"I meant everyone, you are part of everyone. You might be the boss but you are a part of this party mister. If you don't empty your pockets, this meeting goes nowhere. Got it?"

"Got it, Babe," Ranger said with a grin, "as long as you're sure."

"I'm sure we need to do this now, or I won't show up for another one of these meetings again. Come on Ranger, pony up," I told him as the guys snickered behind him.

Ranger added as much to the pile as Hector did. I actually gave consideration to doing an airport security wanding thing, but thought better of it. I mean, it would be fun to run a wand up and down each and every Merry Man, especially the fun places, but I needed to show some faith in the guys, right? Ranger must have been reading my thoughts for the evil grin he sent my way. One of these days I am going to have to learn to keep my thoughts to my little old lonesome.

That done, we all returned to the table. At the center of the table were the envelopes with each person's name from New Year's Eve and two cut crystal bowls. Ranger returned each envelope back to its author, including mine to me.

"Gentlemen, you will each open your envelope and remove the task you printed on it for Stephanie. Please write your name on the blank side, fold the paper and place it in the bowl on my left. Stephanie, while they are doing that, please write the names of the months from now through May. Fold your papers and place them in the bowl on my right."

I had no idea about what the significance of the months was going to bring. I just sort of figured that I would spend quality time doing my task with each Merry Man during his designated time, I could live with that.

One by one, the tasks were placed in the bowl to Ranger's left. One by one, the various months were placed in the bowl on the right.

"Now Babe, please go to the white board at the front and make three columns. Title the first column 'Person' the next is 'Month' and the last 'Task'. As each item comes out of the bowl, you will record things to the white board. Are we ready to begin?" Ranger asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied with a weak smile.

The room reminded me of a big bingo game, except I was the only one being played! The first slip of paper came out, it was from Hector. The task read "horizons expansion for Stephanie". The month was extracted from the appropriate bowl, March.

"Querida, there are many ways to do this and I will have a month to do it," Hector said with a shy smile.

Panic rising in my voice I said, "But Hector, I am not sure I am up to the horizons you have in mind."

Patiently he replied, "I wouldn't be so sure of that, I will be good, I promise."

"Can you, will you give me a hint? Please." I begged.

"No can do. That's for me to know and you to find out," he teased.

Well nuts!

The master of ceremonies pulled Tank's as the next slip. Tank wouldn't be too bad, I mean probably military training stuff, right? I was just getting comfortable with the idea of getting up early going on long runs followed by obstacle courses. When his task was read it said, Broaden Stephanie's Horizons. His month was January.

A huge smile broke onto Tank's face. "Stephanie, we won't have a full month together, but I promise to do right by you," he said.

Evidently I had been in some sort of shock induced haze because I actually heard what Tank had said.

"Full month. Full month!! Full month!!! FULL MONTH!!!!! Ranger, what the hell is he talking about 'full month' I didn't make any promises for a full month of anything," I whined.

"Sorry about that Babe. It's part of the rules. You are obligated to work for a full month on each task with your partner. That has always been the understanding about these bets. Thought you were aware of the rules when you got involved."

"Damn it, Ranger. You know I had no idea about that. I thought it was something that could be done in an afternoon or evening, at the very longest a weekend. A month … each? Jeez."

"Done whining yet, Babe? If not, we will have to ask Ella to send up some cheese to go with your whine. We have several more months to get organized."

Well, bugger. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger.

Bobby's paper was chosen next. Cripes, not again, yes, again. The damn thing said 'Horizon expansion' and his month was April.

"Steph, I know you weren't ready to do a full month, but you'll like it, you have my word. Besides, my girlfriends have all liked it, you'll do just fine," Bobby said.

"All your girlfriends, ALL YOUR GIRLFRIENDS!" I was unable to look at Bobby, so I turned to the man in charge, "Ranger, I thought this was supposed to remain PG rated, you know? Has this thing turned into a dating game I am unaware of? Come on," the whiny pitch getting higher in my voice.

"Babe, it is not a dating game, just quality time to do a task or a project with each of the guys. Each of them has something different in mind, so I am sure you won't get bored; in fact, you might learn a thing or two. Now if we changed it to a dating type game would you be happier? I can do that if you really want me to. I trust the most of the guys to keep it PG for a month, but I wouldn't trust Lester."

I stumbled across my words and said, "No, I don't want it to be a dating game. But it sure feels like a game where I am being played." I was starting to feel like the shoe in the Monopoly game, going round in circles and not really getting anywhere.

"Bomber, I am hurt. You wouldn't trust me for a month to take care of you? You wouldn't trust me to date me for a month and be able to keep it all clean and above board? It would be an experience for you completely like no other," Lester said with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile across his entire face.

"Actually Lester, no I don't. Sorry." I was feeling ashamed of myself. I trusted the Merry Men with my life, why wouldn't I trust myself to "date" Lester for a month? Good going in the trust department, Plum.

"Good to know you're being honest with me Steph, because I wouldn't trust me either. I would need a chaperone for a month and don't think I could take it. I mean I haven't been chaperoned since I was 15 and the girl was 20."

God, I hope he was just kidding.

Ranger pulled the month February which went to Lester. That slip also read 'Expand your horizons'.

"Bomber, if you would only have agreed to make it a dating game, I could have rocked your world for Valentine's Day. You may never know what you missed." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "We could have made beautiful music together. Wait, I still get Valentine's Day! This totally rocks!!!!!"

This was both a good thing and a bad thing. Now I didn't have to worry about being alone for Valentine's Day. The flip side was that it was Lester and I did't think I am in the physical shape to outrun Lester on the "evening of romance" because only God knew what he had in mind.

"Uh, that's OK Lester. I think my world has had enough rocking for the time being. Thanks for the offer," I told him. Ranger shot me an evil look. What? This whole experience was rocking me in my work boots, I wasn't up for any more rocking thank you very much.

The only month that was left was May and it went of course to Ranger. His task was, surprise, surprise, 'Expand your horizons, Babe.'

Fudge.

"Saved the best for last, Babe. This is going to be good."

Where had I heard that before?

I decided to look at the whiteboard, this was the breakdown:

Person MonthTask

TankJanuaryExpand Steph's horizons

LesterFebruaryExpand Steph's horizons

HectorMarchExpand Steph's horizons

BobbyAprilExpand Steph's horizons

RangerMayExpand Steph's horizons

Oh boy. I had the feeling I was going to be in deep, deep trouble. My horizons might never be the same again, and I kind of liked them just like they were.

I was beginning to think that my mother's addiction to ironing was going to be the least of my concerns.

I slumped down into my chair in a stupor. There was absolutely no telling what 'Expand your horizons' meant to each of these guys, there was no way to prepare, there was nothing I could do. I was feeling alittle burned and crispy around the edges and there was no more suntan lotion for Denial Land and my flight was about to leave.

I was paying absolutely no attention as Ranger adjourned the meeting. Before we went back to work, each of the guys retrieved his stash of gizmos from the table. At least there was no record of the meeting other than the whiteboard notes, which Ranger took a digital picture of. God, what was he going to do with that?

There was some commotion and some background noise, but I paid no attention. I think I was getting my passport stamped when I heard Ranger say, "Babe, don't you have to get back to work?"

"Work?" I was shaking my head to clear it.

"Yes Babe, work. You know the job I pay you to do," he was smiling. Guess I was still being entertaining.

"Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks Ranger."

He pulled me out of my chair and put his arms around my shoulder. He walked me back to my desk.

"Babe, it really will be ok. Promise. They won't expand your horizons too far. I don't foresee any third world countries in their futures or in yours," he said as he squeezed my shoulder and headed to his own office.

I sat in my chair, booted up the programs I would need for the afternoon and reviewed my inbox. Before I knew it, my passport had been stamped and I was back in Denial Land looking to see where I had put my suntan lotion.

I went back to doing searches. I had already read the day's funnies on-line and didn't have the nerve to look into employment searches on Ranger's dime. Since I owe, I owe, it was back to work I went. I was deep in my current search when I felt someone standing behind me. Tank.

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	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I am just borrowing._

_Spoilers: Possibly all the books but probably none, unless you know something about the Merry Men that I don't!._

_Content: Strictly a Language Issue (but not harsh)_

_Thanks to Jaime (she's got high hopes) and Kate (My Mini Obsession) for their support and editorial powers.!_

**Stephanie's Gamble**

_I sat in my chair, booted up the programs I would need for the afternoon and reviewed my inbox. Before I knew it, my passport had been stamped and I was back in Denial_ _Land_ _looking to see where I had put my suntan lotion._

_I went back to doing searches. I had already read the day's funnies on-line and didn't have the nerve to look into employment searches on Ranger's dime. Since I owe, I owe, it was back to work I went. I was deep in my current search when I felt someone standing behind me. Tank._

**Chapter 4 Tank AKA Mr. January**

"Tank, I hope you haven't been waiting there too long. What can I do you, big guy?" I asked.

"I just wanted to give you our new schedule," he said with a quiet smile.

"Excuse me, what new schedule? I am predominantly doing computer work here. What gives?"

Tank smiled down at me and said, "You actually know what gives, the schedule because of the poker game. You remember the schedule that was just drawn up? You remember you are mine for January. You know, the rest of the month? You will do the odd search for Ranger, and only spend three mornings a week working for the department. It gives you time to do critical stuff for the guys and I can catch up on paperwork. The rest of the time, you are with me."

"Oh, yeah, that," I said. Feel articulate much Plum? "What do you mean by the whole month and isn't Lula going to be getting jealous of some of this?"

I didn't want to deal with Lula in a constant state of rhino mode. I didn't want to see Tank suffer her foul mood either.

"Lula isn't part of any of this; what we will be doing together will have nothing to do with my relationship with Lula. I am not even going to discuss this with Lula. What we do together isn't up for rumor or speculation with any of the guys. Ranger doesn't even have any say in what we will be doing together. This is up to my discretion and yours."

Nuts.

This wasn't sounding any too good to me right about now. How much and what kind of discretion was he talking about? Was I going to need to talk to Father Frank at Our Lady of Perpetual Guilt and get some kind of dispensation for this?

"Tank, would you care to elaborate on that for me? How can Lula not be involved in a whole month of your life? What do you mean Ranger won't have a say in anything we do together," I said quietly afraid of the answer.

"It's not like that at all Steph. It is more like I have a month to bring you into my world in a way no one else has been involved before. I hope that as a result of our time together we will know each other better and you will have a different perspective on work for Rangeman and working with me. Think of it as a new experience for both of us."

Obstacle courses and endless hours at the gym, here I come. I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers. After a deep breath, I said, "Ok, big guy, I trust you. Where do we begin?"

"We begin in another hour. Just two hours at the end of today. I'll stop by and pick you up. I think you will enjoy yourself."

"Will I need to change clothes to do this?"

"Nope, today is strictly come as you are."

Tank smiled as he left, like he knew something I didn't. No big surprise there. I felt like everyone knew all of the particulars of my life for the next several months, except for me; like that was something new.

Some day I will be in the driver's seat for my own life. Yeah, I'll be in the driver's seat of my life just as soon as my tiara comes in from the jewelers for my coronation as Queen and Grand Poobah of Denial Land.

I searched through the pile on my desk and looked for the most critical search and started in on it. While I waited for it to print out, I went to the storeroom to get trays for each of the guys and labeled them. I sorted the paper monster into piles for each of the guys and put their most critical searches on top.

When the search was finally done printing, I stacked the paper neatly, put it in a file and delivered it to Ranger's office. He was seated behind the desk in a large leather chair as I walked up to him.

"Babe, efficient as usual," Ranger said with a slight smile.

"Yup, that's me; the model of efficiency. Hey, I just wanted you to know that Tank and I are going to be starting this afternoon … to … you know," I said.

"Let me finish that sentence for you. You are going to be expanding your horizons with Tank," he completed.

"Yeah. It just seems like this was an awful high stake for a poker game," I said quietly, not looking him in the eyes.

"Babe, you knew the rules before you dealt into that portion of the game. You may not have been as aware of your surroundings as you should have been, but you were given every opportunity to back out," he said with a smile in his voice.

"It shouldn't be held against me that I'm a lightweight when it comes to drinking. You should have protected me from myself," I whined quietly.

"No way. You are the one who has been telling me you want more to stand on your own feet and to succeed on your own. I thought about reminding you about your beer tolerance, but didn't think you wanted me to doubt your abilities. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Besides, this is one way to make sure you are paying attention to things said in meetings," he told me as the grin was getting bigger and bigger.

"You are right, again, as usual." I rolled my eyes, "Don't you ever get tired of being right?" I whispered.

He reached for my hand as he stood up. He brought me into a loose but comfortable hug. Then he kissed me on the temple and said, "It will all be just fine. You'll really like spending the time with Tank. I trust him and I trust you, it will be good for both of you. You have my word. If it gets to be too much for you at any time, I'll talk to him and we'll work something out. Does that make you feel better?"

"Yeah, it does. Thanks," I breathed.

"Ok then, go and get back to work. I've heard that boss of yours is a real hard ass and I don't want you to get in trouble with him."

With that I was out the door, down the hall and not dragging my feet too badly as I headed for my cube.

I must have been with Ranger longer than I thought because when I got back, Tank was already at my desk. "Here goes nothing," I thought to myself.

"Where are we off to, big man?" I teasingly asked.

"To four, to my apartment."

Oh boy.

I shut down my computer, but left my purse at my desk. If we were leaving the building today, I could easily come back and get it. I had planned take my keys, just in case I needed to make a quick get away. But this is Tank. He is good at snatch and grab; probably by the time I made an escape from him he would have already caught me. I sighed and stood to join him.

Tank put his hand on the small of my back and we headed to the elevator; we stopped past the comm. control desk on our way out letting them know we would be out of pocket and completely unavailable for the rest of the day.

The ride to the fourth floor was painless and quick. I was more than a little curious as to what Tank's place would be like on the inside. I didn't know any of the Merry Men well enough to go to their apartments other than to drop off documents at their doors. And I had only ever been inside one studio for more than a few minutes and that was due to a guilt thing with Morelli, so I had never fully investigated what the apartments were like.

We walked down the long hall and about midway down, Tank stopped at number seven. He took out his keycard, swiped it against a panel near the door and opened it.

The apartment was light and bright with a lot of overstuffed, leather furniture, but there was more to it than that. The living room walls were painted a deep forest green and covered floor to ceiling with hand rendered drawings, some black ink on paper, others pencil, some in pastels. As my eyes traveled around the room, I noticed that all of the pictures were all uniformly sized and framed but the subject matter was incredibly diverse.

"Tank, I remember you said you were into art and all that, but what's with all the pictures on the walls? Do you collect a specific artist or something?" I was floored, so not the Tank I thought I knew.

"Steph, that's part of what you and I are going to be doing together."

"Art lessons?" This was getting stranger and stranger. Tank just looked at me with bemusement on his face. Typical. Panic was starting to rise in my voice as I said, "Tank, I can't draw a straight line, much less a picture of anything that is supposed to look like something. You are going to teach me how to do the 'Mona Lisa' in a month? You do know that's not possible, right? I mean I flunked finger painting in kindergarten."

The big man just ignored me as he went into the kitchen and put a kettle on to boil. Then he quietly pulled two bone china tea cups down from the cupboard, organized a few small items and carried them over to the dining table. Included on the tray, there was a small platter of finger sandwiches, wow. This sure didn't seem like the Tank I know; the Tank I know throws people out of a windows.

"I spent time in England as an exchange student back in college, and I have never really gotten over the afternoon tea thing. I hope you don't mind, Steph. There are all kinds of teas, if you would rather there is instant coffee or cocoa."

The softer side of Tank, who knew?

"Why don't you choose my tea for me, Tank, I am sure whatever you like will be good," I told him. I had no clue about tea, but didn't want him to know that.

"Earl Grey for two, coming right up. I'll let you handle your own lemon, cream and sugar, I take my tea straight," he said with a smile.

Tank put the tray on the cocktail table between us and seated himself at the far end of the sofa. I added a hint of sugar to mine and sat on the opposite end of the sofa.

"Before we get started on specifically what you and I are going to do together, I wanted you to know more about my background. I just told you that I spent time in England while I was in college. It was the best experience of my life; I was able to hit all the touristy things while I was there, but also got to travel to as many places as the trains would allow during weekends and school holidays. I was able to see all the major museums in western Europe and found myself hooked on art. That semester and summer changed my major from history to art. I minored in history. The most important lesson I came away with is this: truly great art talks to each of us and we can each get something different from what we see.

"There were little spots where local artists would hang out in the major cities and they would just do their thing. That looked like fun to me, so I decided to get my own sketch pad and try myself; turns out I had a knack for landscapes but not people. I practiced after school doing street scenes.

"I would see what all I could and try to get it to the paper. At first I had a very narrow focus and didn't see the whole scene in front of me. The more I did it, the more things I noticed and was able to transcribe to paper. I played memory games with myself. That's where we are going to start with you, memory games."

"Excuse me, what does art have to do with memory games?"

"In some regards nothing, in others everything. We are going to start with a kids' game where you try to match pairs of things together. All the pieces are face down and you try to uncover the matching pairs."

"Tank, I stink at games and I never remember what is directly in front of me. A six year old could beat me," I whined.

"Ok, so we will have a place to start. I promise by the end of the month you'll be able to beat all the six year olds and most of the seven year olds in the area," he said with a laugh.

"Not funny, Tank, not funny. But since you insist and I know you won't change your mind anytime soon, we'll give it a go."

"We'll talk more about the whole art thing a little later, OK?"

"You're the boss, Tank, we'll do whatever makes you happiest," I said with a smile in my voice I didn't really feel.

We finished the pot of tea and some of the best finger sandwiches I have ever eaten. Correction, I had two pieces of finger one sandwich and Tank ate the rest of the tray. Growing boys have got to eat, you know? After I helped him with the dishes, he got out the board game. Surprise, surprise, he handily beat me in less than five minutes, three times. I have to work on my concentration. Game time over, Tank escorted me back to my cubicle.

"Tank, I had a nice time."

"Me too, Steph," he replied and quickly Tank took himself to parts unknown.

I was startled when I heard Ranger's voice, I hadn't noticed Ranger had somehow managed to get beside the two of us.

"Do you think the time was well spent, Babe?" he asked a little too casually.

"It wasn't what I expected, but it was a good time."

"Not too good, I hope," said Ranger showing the amusement in his eyes.

"Nope, but I could get used to afternoon tea and sandwiches. Ranger, I am going to cut out for the night. I have no idea what Tank has on the agenda for tomorrow, but I want to be rested and ready for it."

"Have a good evening, Babe. I'll see you in the morning. Call if you need anything," he said. With a quick kiss on the top of my head, Ranger returned to his office.

The next couple of days Tank and I spent in his apartment playing the memory game and drinking tea. In terms of broadening my horizons, I think this qualified at least in terms of finger sandwiches and teas. I never guessed I would indulge in "dainties" with Tank every afternoon while playing games. I never would have guessed Tank had a weakness for cucumber sandwiches. Too bad he didn't have a sweet tooth, petit fours would have been great to go with all this tea!

The first time Tank and I had a whole day together, we did the shopping thing. It was unlike any shopping expedition I had ever been on. Tank opened all of the doors and helped me in and out of the truck. We went to several stores that carried art supplies, books and the like. Not a pair of cute panties to be seen anywhere, not that I needed any, but they just sort of make a shopping trip complete. Tank got me the basic basics, a couple of sketch pads, some extra soft lead pencils, a fancy water color set and a couple of brushes.

Once shopping was complete, we bypassed the comm. center and went to his apartment. In the far corner, there was a small table with a cloth over it; it was a new addition to the room to the best of my recollection.

"Hey Tank, what's with the doo-hickey on the table in the corner?" Hey, I can speak technically when I have to, I just don't like to have to.

"Actually, after lunch, that's going to be the focus of the afternoon. I am impressed you noticed it. I didn't know you liked 'doo-hickeys', Bomber," he said with a smile.

Ella had left a cold lunch for Tank and me in his fridge earlier in the morning. It looked like enough to feed five or six, but it was just enough to feed Tank and me with no leftovers. Ella thought of the boys as her sons and assumed they were all still growing. Good for all of them they worked out, or her food would have had them growing out. Still no cake or cookies, it was going to be time to talk to Ella about menu additions and soon.

After lunch, Tank decided to demystify the 'doo-hickey' in the corner. It was going to be the subject of a still life. I was good with that until he told me I was going to be sketching it. I felt lucky if I could make a circle and get the smiley face centered in it, how was I going to work on a still life? Jeez.

"Do you really think we bought art supplies to gather dust? Come on, you know better than that. This experience is going to be pain free, guilt free, judgment free and calorie free," he said with a straight face.

Right then, I knew he wasn't planning on attempting to put me in a compromising or uncomfortable position, probably he wouldn't even be doing nude modeling for me. The Catholic guilt I'd been raised on could be triggered by anything all that felt good ranging from men to cheese cake had been quelled for the moment.

"So what exactly are we going to do, Teach?" I said with a broad smile.

"Not we, you," yikes, "You are going to begin to broaden the way you look at things. After I lift the cloth, I want you to take a serious look at the stuff on the table for a couple of minutes. Then we talk about each item on the tray."

"That's it?"

"Yep, that's how this is going to start for today."

The cloth covered a silver platter which contained fresh fruit, a hunk of cheese, a bottle of wine and a glass, they looked like they had been arranged for a photo shoot. We talked about what the things meant and how they were composed on the tray. We talked about the contrast of textures from the smooth wine bottle to the dimpled texture of the orange. We even discussed the way that light showed on the pear and how the pear wasn't just green but had yellow, green, rosy red and a bit of brown. I knew Ranger was a detail man. I had just never thought of Tank as a detail man, and if he was, these were definitely not these kinds I would have thought about relating to Tank.

Then we talked about the importance of light. Duh, like you could really do this stuff in the dark? Tank told me that some of the great impressionists would do a study of a scene or still life at various points in the day so they could match up the light. It was the same stuff, but light and shadows made a huge impact on how they were perceived.

I was told to open a sketch book to a blank sheet and grab a pencil. Then I was supposed to just start to draw what I saw for five minutes. I felt like a complete fool! I had seen stuff on the news done by monkeys that looked more realistic. Tank, on the other hand, saw that a sincere effort was being made and that's all he wanted. At the end of five minutes, he called time and had me close the sketch book. End of the first art lesson.

As the lessons changed, Tank never reviewed my attempts with anything other than respect. He'll probably make a great dad some day, not criticizing the three-year old's precious attempts at drawing a three headed giraffe. He was able to point out the things I had done well and praise them with sincerity. When asked, he offered advice on how to better make the shapes and which perspectives would be best in which light. He even found a book with the works of several modern "artists" that to my eyes didn't look so different from what I had tried to put on paper.

We got into a pattern by the end of the first week. Paperwork, if it was a half day, lunch, then still life or memory games. The full days were art history lessons in the morning, who the masters were and the style of what they did. Our time together became very comfortable and peaceful; I was even developing a taste for tea.

The second week of whole days I spent with Tank were changed to include surveillance. I mean it is part of the job, but I missed the stories of the famous artists. Turns out that surveillance with Tank was going to include a sketch book. We both sketched the scene in front of us without looking down. Then we went back to the apartment to sketch it again and see who had more details in their picture. No surprise, Tank had all the details, but I was getting better. My stuff no longer looked like the monkey's from TV, it looked a little better. Each day I made a little more progress and I knew one day, if I worked hard and applied myself, I would show the same artistic skills of a gifted second grader!

Tank told me that there were times during a long and boring surveillance because he was engrossed in his sketching he didn't notice when his own ass went numb. But it also kept him aware of what was going on and what may have changed. If he knew he was going to cover the same place more than two days, he made certain to have enough blank paper. Sometimes it was the smallest change that let him know when a takedown was going to be possible or if something was off and the bust wouldn't happen.

Tank was a creature of habit and once he established a habit he liked he kept it; so the work pattern he established the second week was the one that carried over for the next two weeks.

After one day with an especially bad skip, Tank took out a hunk of modeling clay from one of his closets. He draped the room in plastic sheeting and told me to go for it. Go for what?

"Steph, sometimes when you have a bad day, you just need to get the frustration and the emotion out. I usually go to the gym – so do most of the guys who work here. But because we are doing art right now, I think this might be a good time for you to try a different medium. Therefore, we get to beat the snot out of this hunk of clay, I hadn't thought about it and this is all the clay I have. Do what you want to it, beat it, rip it up, throw it on the covered sections of the floor. Ella would kill me if you any of this stuff made it onto her carpeting."

"Got it, big guy. No temper tantrums with clay that will result in more work from Ella."

"Actually Steph, she gets mad and then hands you the solvents, brushes and gloves and you get to clean it while she watches you work."

"Oh. Ok, then."

Tank and I actually had a lot of fun with the modeling clay. I made a bunch of snake ropes and then squished them back into one big glob. Tank made some free form figures. By the time we were done, I felt like I had had an afternoon in kindergarten. It was one of the most fun afternoons I had spent in a long time.

We cleaned up our mutual mess and got the clay back into its container so it wouldn't wear out. I think I will ask Tank to do this with me again when I have a bad day. I never have gotten a good feel for the punching bag and the body bag seems to hit me back when I am not looking.

The second to last Thursday as we were winding down from the current memory game, I was beginning to feel like I was almost on par with Tank, when he told me that Friday was going to be a complete break from what we had been doing. I was to dress up some, but still be comfy and to wear walking shoes. Not that I minded the current routine, but to have a change in venue, now that was something to look forward to.

We were going to do a fancy lunch and then a tour of the galleries in Princeton.

I knew this was my friend Tank, but it was feeling like a date. Decisions had to be made, what to wear? How conservative should I be? How was Ranger going to react? Wait, wait, wait. Morelli had taken a transfer out of town and Ranger and I had fallen into a true friendship. At this point Ranger wasn't trying to sneak kisses or pressure me, his business was growing and he was out of town a lot. I mean I we periodically had a meal together and a little kissing, but we both knew that right now friendship was best for us both.

I had decided on a little beige sweater with three quarter sleeves, a pair of comfy ballerina style flats and conservative black skirt. I looked "nice" as my mother would say, classy but definitely not advertising anything. Well, not directly advertising, a girl has to show off her assets when she can, and that skirt showed off my rear and my legs without screaming it. Hey, I can do classy and understated – I usually just get the chance to do distraction and most of the time distraction has nothing to do with classy or understated.

Friday after finishing Ranger's paperwork thing, I peaked into Ranger's office to say "good bye" for the day and weekend.

"Babe, going incognito today?" the Man in Black asked as he rose from behind his desk.

"Nope, just playing it down. This isn't a distraction, Ranger, this is expanding my horizons. I am not trying to draw any attention to myself. If you don't approve, I have a too short, too tight, and too low number that I can easily slip into. I know it is one of Tank's favorites; would that make you happier?" I was fuming.

"No Babe, you look just fine. I just never seem to see you dressed this way. Not that I don't approve, I do, it just took me by surprise. Are you coming back after you and Tank are done?" he appraised me from top to bottom and back again.

"Nope, it should be a relatively early night, it's been a long week – expanding horizons can do that to a girl."

"Enjoy yourselves," he said with a small smile. He kissed me on the forehead before he returned to his desk and the mountain of work on it.

For this adventure, Tank took his own car. It was a classic Ford Thunderbird, 1964 gold, it was huge, it was a boat, it was so unlike Tank and yet so like Tank. It was unlike him because I only ever thought of him in an SUV, it was just like Tank because I no longer held preconceived notions of what he would really be like or what really interested him.

The look on my face must have spoken volumes.

Tank winked at me and started his explanation, "Style is more than just what is currently in fashion, Steph. Sometimes you look at the classic lines, the way something moves, the way it feels, the way you yourself respond to it, there are a lot of things that make something timeless. It is why an old couple doesn't see the aging partner, they see the beauty that was so long ago and still resides under the graying hair and the wrinkles. At any rate, this car has style and so do you."

Gee, that's one of the nicest things anyone has said to me in a long time.

We went to a little bistro place and ordered something too small and too expensive. I mean it was pretty on the plate, but the portions were only large enough to feed a church mouse and that's about it. After lunch, Tank took me to a drive through to get some real food; bless Tank!

We spent the afternoon wandering from gallery to gallery. Some specialized in portraits, others landscapes. Some were all about oil paintings or water colors and others had a hodge podge of everything. We talked about everything from the way the light played on the picture to the kind of frame that was used. This afternoon was nothing like what I would have imagined I would do with Tank, ever. It was a real eye opening or Tank was expanding my horizons. It was absolutely amazing.

The last gallery we went into had a blank wall that had been freshly pained and lights were being put in for a new installation. There was a sign that read _Coming Soon the Pierre_ _Fournier Collection._ We walked into the gallery and Tank was greeted by everyone in the place, they were all falling all over him.

"Pierre, what do you think about the wall color?" asked an elderly man wearing paint sprinkled overalls.

"Mr. Fournier, do you think the lighting is enough?" inquired a woman who had been shouting orders at the people on the scaffold.

"Dearest, when will we have the final pieces for the collection?" asked the polished, sleek looking woman who glowed as she looked at him.

I looked up at Tank. He was beaming. "Tank, what's going on?" I asked.

"Steph, you have always wanted to know what we do with our time when we aren't at Rangeman or training. Art has always been my passion and my true love. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like the fun of chucking someone out of the third story window, but it doesn't speak to my soul like art does. Someday I may be too old to do the work I do at Rangeman, and so I am preparing for my someday now with this," he said as he swept his arm across the room.

"Wow, I never would have guessed. I mean, I liked what I saw in your apartment, but I never would have thought you would display it in _public_. I mean your work is wonderful, but I am so self conscious I just assumed you would be, too."

"Steph, it is easier to be less self conscious when you aren't so close to home; it is also easier when you are part owner of the gallery. Let me introduce you around.

"Edward, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Stephanie Plum. Steph, Edward has been in charge of keeping the paint fresh and complimentary to all the art that is displayed at the gallery. Ed, love what you are doing, please keep it up."

"Just as you ask Pierre," said Edward beaming.

We headed back to the woman who had been working on the lighting when Tank spoke again, "Steph this is Amanda, she is the guru of lighting and her man of all work George. Amanda and George, I'd like to introduce you to Stephanie Plum a good friend of mine."

When pleasantries had been exchanged, the polished, sleek woman came over to where we were standing. "Pierre, dear, who is the charming woman you have brought to visit with us today?" she asked formally but warmly.

"Roxie, this is Stephanie, we work together in Trenton. Steph, Roxie is my partner in this venture and one of my former art students. Roxie excels in the operations and finding new artists, I fill in blank walls when everything sells out, then I am replaced with her newest find," Tank said with a huge smile on his face.

"Stephanie, the pleasure is all mine. Are you taking art lessons from Pierre? He has an amazing eye for detail."

"I have only been at it for a month with Ta I mean Pierre. Yes, he does have a great eye for detail. Looking around here, it looks like the two of you have a great partnership. Let me guess, Pierre is a sort of a 'silent partner'?" I asked grinning at Tank.

"No, he isn't silent at all. Poor man just doesn't have enough time to see us regularly. So we always look forward to when he graces us with his presence. If he would just give up his work in Trenton he could be the artist in residence here and we could display his work all of the time."

"Steph, let's take a quick look around then we will need to head back. If I don't get back, the task master here won't get her quota of new pieces for the new display."

In the corner there were any number of canvases that Tank had apparently painted. They were considerably larger than the pictures he had framed in his apartment. He told me that the pictures in the apartment were usually studies he did before worked on a bigger canvas, it gave him a chance to flesh out an idea before he committed to the "big picture" as he called it.

His work was very varied. He had a lot of still life paintings, duh, and of course the street scenes. He had done several abstracts of Lula, at least I think it was Lula. Some of them showed her inner beauty, the way I was sure Tank saw her when he looked at her. Other paintings looked like she had just been slimed by a skip.

"Hey Tank?" I asked.

"Yeah, Steph." he replied.

"Has Lula ever seen the paintings you have done of her?"

"Only once. I painted it before we started to date. It was a very stylized picture of her that she found none too flattering. She wants any picture to look like an airbrushed photograph and that's just not the way I work."

"So you paint these from memory?"

"Yeah. I'd rather have her model for me, but she isn't comfortable with the end product and I don't ever want to put her in an awkward position. Yet another reason I do the memory game thing, I get to see her in my mind the way I want to and she doesn't get fidgety about posing."

"So do you ever sell the pictures of Lula?"

"Only the highly stylized ones that she would never recognize herself in. Why?"

"Just wondering. When your show opens, can I come to the grand opening? I've never been to an opening of any kind before. I think it could be a lot of fun."

"Of course, in fact, the opening is going to be your graduation before you move on to Lester."

Oh boy, Lester, I'd kind of forgotten about him.

After we had a quick bite to eat, it was tea time after all, we headed back to Trenton. I was feeling a little downhearted. Tank, of course, picked up on it.

"Steph, what's the matter?"

"I'm gonna miss you, big guy."

"I'm not going anywhere. I will still live in the same apartment and work at the same place. Besides, we still have one week before you have to miss me."

"Yeah, but you won't have to hang out with me any more and the art lessons will be over."

"Steph, you've had a lot on your plate learning a new job and getting better skills. I promise to continue to give you lessons, if you want them. Don't do it to please me, do it for yourself, if that's what you want. If you don't want to continue with the art stuff, I understand. I just wanted you to have a better idea of who I am and what makes me tick."

"I'd like to continue to do some art projects, but I don't know what Lester is going to be like. I have a feeling that my dance card is going to be full for the month of February."

As Tank drove us back to Rangeman, I reflected on this whole experience. It seemed surreal. Tank and I had gotten into a companionable rhythm, it was a unique partnership. It was wonderful and totally unexpected and it was ending soon. I was going to miss having tea out of fine china and getting a new picture for my computer desktop every couple of days. Mostly, I was going to miss the one on one time with the big guy; the man of few words turned out to be a great teacher and I felt that he had well and thoroughly expanded my horizons.

The next week was the show's opening at the gallery. I helped Tank select the pieces at his apartment that he wanted to display. He let me choose frames for some of them. Dang, a lot of work to show off some pictures.

I returned with him to the gallery to deliver the new pieces so they could be hung. It was amazing to see the wall go from blank to highly stylized and all with my friend's work. I felt incredible pride as I looked at the wall.

When we went to the opening, it was wonderful. All of Rangeman showed up in support of Tank; it was awesome to see them all together and not in a hospital waiting room. All of the guys were dressed to the nines and on their best behavior, even Lester. Boy did the guys ever clean up nice, yum. I, myself, did the understated clothing, hair and make up thing, no one should outshine the guest of honor, it is a Burg rule.

Thanks to my time with Tank, I was feeling confident, relatively educated with the art around me and aware of my surroundings; until I wasn't. I mean I thought I had been aware of my surroundings, but I had help "loosening" my awareness.

Things were going really well, and I seemed to have the glass of champagne that never went empty. Turns out that Lester was constantly topping off my glass. It has never been a secret that I am a light weight when it comes to drinking. I guess part of being a big girl meant that I should have been watching my own back, whoops, by the time the evening was over, I was lit like a Christmas tree. Thanks for the help there, Lester.

The next morning, hung over and bleary eyed I made it to the comm. room and was ready to get into the groove of Tank only to realize I was no longer with Tank, it was Lester's turn. Tank would have done the gentlemanly thing and gone to McDonalds and bought me the Cure. Lester knew all about the Cure, large Coke and large fries, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to get it for me.

New month. New Merry Man. Big Hangover. Welcome to February, Plum. It looks like it is going to be a doozie.

_A/N: Thanks for all the kind reviews. Please let me know what you think._


	5. Chapter 5

_**I own nothing, make no profit, but have enjoyed playing with all of the MM.**_

_**Thanks Jaime for her editorial powers and her encouragement!**_

**Stephanie's Gamble**

_The next morning, hung over and bleary eyed I made it to the comm. room and was ready to get into the groove of Tank only to realize I was no longer with Tank, it was Lester's turn. Tank would have done the gentlemanly thing and gone to McDonalds and bought me the Cure. Lester knew all about the Cure, large Coke and large fries, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to get it for me. _

_New month. New Merry Man. Big Hangover. Welcome to February, Plum. It looks like it is going to be a doozie._

**Chapter 5 February**

Oh boy. I smiled as I remembered the conversation with Tank, how "nothing would be up for rumor or speculation" and I felt better; then sometime after lunch Lester sauntered over.

"Bomber, hope you are up to the new month," Lester said with a huge grin, "I'm really looking forward to it. And as to the ground rules, you need to remember that I am not Tank and I have no _current_ girlfriend." Well nuts, this just doesn't sound good. Lester continued, "Since I have no relationship to jeopardize and it doesn't look like you do either right now, I have no problem with everything we do together being up for rumor or speculation with any or all of the guys. The same rules apply, Ranger still won't have any say in what we will be doing together. This is up to my discretion and yours," he said in a stage whisper so that the entire floor could hear him.

Jeez.

Lester made sure everyone on the floor was paying attention to us when he continued, "February may be the shortest month, Bomber, but it has Valentine's Day in it. You know what that means don't you?"

"Ah … drawing a blank Lester. What does it mean," I asked crossing my fingers.

"It means that you have no choice in a date for Valentine's this year. I am going to be your special date and you're gonna love what I have planned," he said with the biggest grin on his face I had ever seen.

My mouth fell open and I think my eyes bugged out. I was having a hard time believing he had _already planned_ Valentine's day. It was just the first of the month! If I was still with Joe, it would be pizza, beer and a romp between the sheets, planning time about five minutes to make sure there were enough condoms. If Valentine's was with Ranger it would probably mean surveillance and sitting outside in the butt numbing cold. Mary, Jesus and Joseph. I was not up to Lester for Valentine's Day. I could feel my face turn red and then lose color all together.

Before I could catch my breath I heard the sound of a familiar bark, "Santos, my office, now." I knew Ranger had summoned Rangeman's answer to Hugh Hefner to the inner sanctum. Maybe things were looking up.

The "discussion" as it would later be called, involved a lot of yelling in Spanish and stomping, storming and other acts of male posturing. I think Ranger and Lester had done this dance before, because for the longest time neither one backed down. I heard my name some mumbling and in English heard "but she agreed and so did you" my heart sank. When I heard, "but you promised not to interfere" and "I never get to have _any _fun around here" I was so miserable I could have been two people. Crap and double crap.

Eventually the storm calmed and the door opened. Lester ambled out with his hands in his pockets. He sidled up to me and bumped his shoulder to mine and said, "Stephanie, sorry if I was disrespectful. I just don't like to be formal and structured. I believe that some things are best experienced by the seat of the pants. That's all I meant, promise. Besides, I value my skin and my job. We are going to have the same basic schedule you and Tank had, but the structure of our time is out the door, that I can promise you. But the good news is that I still have Valentine's Day with you! I'll be back for you when everything is ready."

Lester headed for parts unknown and probably unwatched by Ranger.

A few minutes later my desk phone rang, it was Ranger.

"Babe, do you have a couple of minutes for me before you head out with Santos?"

"Sure thing, I'll be in shortly."

I finished printing the search I had been working on and collected it from the printer.

"Babe, remember when you were going to start working with Tank?"

"Yeah. I was nervous and you made me feel better."

"Babe, you've got to remember that Lester isn't Tank. I know it will be a good experience for both of you. I trust you. I do not trust Lester. If Lester gets out of line and it becomes too much for you, call Tank. If you call me, I'll kill Lester and then ship his body to a third world country."

"Ok, Batman. I'll keep a good look out for Lester. Do I need to have a secret word with Tank to let him know when Lester has overstepped?"

"Babe, that's going a bit far, don't you think?"

"Just wanted to make sure we are on the same page, that's all. Unless you want to be my one and only Prince Charming and rescue me from the fire breathing Lester?"

"Babe, there's a lot of paperwork with dead bodies."

"Thought so, Ranger. Tank to the rescue it will be. Though I doubt I'll need his help, I will just handle him like I handled my dates in college."

"And just how was that?"

"You know, lots of headaches, whining, sniveling, and being incredibly demanding."

"And this has changed since college, how?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, rolled my eyes and attempted to look really pissy. "Ranger, jeez. I am not that bad and you know it. Maybe Lester will be like a breath of fresh air? Maybe Lester is secretly gay and none of us know it? Maybe Lester is actually desirous of my mother or my grandmother? Who knows? Anything is possible under the sun. We may just all find out what that is together. Gotta go, my new knight awaits," I said blowing Ranger a kiss as I quickly left the office.

No sooner than I left Ranger's office than I immediately walked into Lester.

"Your new knight, huh? Quite the compliment there, Steph. Wonder what I will have to do to keep that image up?"

"I was playing around Lester, nothing personal, I promise."

"Are you sure, I could _earn_ the title from you and then it could be _very personal for both of us._"

"You are an absolute nut, Lester Santos. Come on, it is time to get this show on the road. Where do we start?" I raised my head and was standing purposefully straight.

"Why at the very beginning, of course," he said with a sly smile. Then he added, "Just like with Tank, you and me _alone_ in my apartment for the rest of the afternoon; possibly longer."

"You need to know that your lines just don't work on me, make me nervous or make me excited. It does make me wonder how much talking you have done with Tank. Evidently not enough."

"Whatever you say, your ladyship. Let's head to four."

We headed to the fourth floor together and down the familiar hallway. We passed the halfway point and were all the way to the end of the proverbial road when we reached Lester's place. I thought my place was decorated like a dorm room, it had nothing on Lester's. His place was an homage to the 70s. He didn't have chairs, he had oversized bean bags. He had lava lamps and strobe lights. I was beginning to wonder if he had an eight-track player. I was pretty sure he had an old style water bed, but was hoping not to find out personally any time soon. There was a sign on his wall that said, "Dance with your dreams".

The dichotomy between Tank and Lester was amazing. Where Tank had art on the walls, Lester had posters. Where Tank had china, Lester had paper plates. Where Tank served hot tea and finger sandwiches, Lester offered me beer, from a can, and a handful of stale pretzels.

"Take a load off, no shoes required in here. In fact, shoes and surplus clothing of any kind is not encouraged."

"I'm willing to dump the shoes, socks and jacket but that is as surplus as I am willing to go with you."

"Feel free to change your mind at any time. What you and I are going to do is explore ENERGY of all kinds. How to balance your energy, how bodies in motion tend to stay in motion, how bodies at rest remain at rest until _acted upon_ by a body in motion. Those are just the building blocks, where we take it from there is up to you and me. Getting the idea?"

I tried not to rise to his bait and said, "Sounds like science class. I did pretty well in science unless we are going to be balancing chemical equations then I am going to need a study partner."

"Sounds like you are up for the challenge. Let's go. Time to drop the shoes, remove anything from your pockets, turn off your cell phone – not even on silent or vibrate and take off your belt. Come lay down next to me in front of the entertainment center, then we will begin." Lester had turned on his Radio Announcer Voice that worked like a snake charmer on me; oh nuts.

Did I remember that I could handle the "handy" guys in college? Evidently not so well as I remembered. Ranger is going to kill one if not both of us because I was _voluntarily _going to get horizontal with Lester on the floor of his apartment, in daylight, with no chaperone.

What was I thinking? I was going to have to make an appointment to talk with Father Frank, I just knew it. How do I keep doing this to myself?

While I was in my cups, some soft mood music started. Oh boy, where was Tank when I needed him? Tank had turned out to be quite the teddy bear and maybe would have been my protector too. It was looking like Lester had not only earned his reputation as a playboy, but I might well be on my way to being one of his conquests. Fudge.

I found my way onto my back next to Lester. I don't know where the pillow from under my head had come from, but there it was. I have spent a lot of time with the Merry Men, but usually it is not so up close and personal. Seldom is it in the dark, never in the dark lying down. Damn if he didn't smell good, and I think he knew it, too. He was a little too practiced at all of this. It looked and smelled like there is a reason for the reputation. Yikes.

"Stephanie, there is absolutely nothing that is going to go on here that you don't want to happen, I promise. There is nothing that is going to go on here that I don't want to happen. You are going to have to trust me in order for this to be good for both of us, can you do that?"

While I was still focused on the _"nothing going to go on here that I don't want to happen,"_ he turned off all of the lights except a night light in the far corner of the room.

"Yes," I squeaked.

"OK. I want for you to close your eyes and listen to the music and do what I tell you to do. I am going to give you a minute to get your breathing under control and then we will begin," he had a smile in his voice that rivaled Ranger's damn him.

It took me a minute to slow my breathing down and just relax. Once I did, Lester's soft and well modulated voice started again.

"Steph, I've done this lots and lots you will be just fine, promise. Just focus on my voice and think about the things I am saying to you. Don't read anything into what I am saying, just take the statements as they come. Are you ready?"

"Yes," I said sleepily.

"Close your eyes and rid your mind of any feelings of fear, stress, or anxiety. Observe any unwanted thoughts slipping away from you without judgement. Now I want you to feel all of the tension leaving your body. Beginning with your toes, see the tension slowly falling away from your body and vanishing. Imagine it freeing each body part one at a time starting with your toes and working its way up your body. Visualize each part of your body becoming lighter and lighter as the tension is removed. relax your toes, then your feet. Continue with your calves, thighs, hips, stomach and so on, until you've relaxed each portion, including your face and head.

"Continue taking slow, deep breaths. Each time you exhale, see the negativity leaving in a dark cloud. As you inhale, see the air returning as a bright force filled with life and energy.

"Now you are extremely relaxed. Imagine you are at the top of a flight of 10 stairs. See each and every detail of this scene from the top to the bottom. Now you are going to descend the stairs, I will count each step down, starting at 10. Each number I count is further down and closer to the bottom. After each number, you will feel yourself drifting further and further into deep relaxation. I will keep counting and guiding you down until you reach the bottom. Once we reach the bottom, see that you are happy, safe and relaxed. .

We are going to stay in this safe, happy and relaxed place for a little while and if you fall asleep, it will be just fine."

The next thing I knew three hours had passed and it was way past my regular quitting time. Lester was sitting up next to me, grinning like a fool. I was no longer on my back, but on my side covered in a blanket. Rats.

"Bomber, I hate to wake you up, but this part of relaxation and balancing your energy is over."

"Huh?"

"I brought you back out of your hypnotic state, but I don't know that you could hear me for all the snoring you were doing. By the way, you are cute when you snore."

"I do not snore. My mother and sister will vouch for me."

"I don't care what your family says, they'll side with you. Now, do you really want me to start confirming your snoring and sleeping habits with either Ranger or Morelli? I don't think they would take it too kindly if they knew I got you to sleep with me and I wasn't even trying hard."

"Lester, you would not."

"Oh, would so. You know I would love nothing more than to see the look on Ranger's face when I asked him about it. I promise I won't go into the things you actually _say or the noises you make_ when you are asleep."

"Lester, that's blackmail."

"And don't I know it? In exchange for this so called blackmail, you don't get to go spreading any horrible, nasty truths you may find out about me in future to the guys."

"Cripes, I am just never going to win am I?" I asked him.

"Bomber, just so you feel better about this, I have done hypnosis on people for years to help them get over their fears or other issues in their lives. I took courses and got licensed and everything. I probably should have told you up front, but I didn't know how willing you would be."

"Not that I don't trust you, but did you program me to bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken when you say a certain word?"

"Not ethical, can't do it. Believe it or not, I work only on the ethical side of things, usually. I want you to be more relaxed and better balanced so you have a better awareness of where you are and what is going on around you. We will revisit this from time to time, but not every day. This is just one technique of many, I promise. But before you go back to the comm. room so you can get your stuff for the night, you are going to need to tame that hair of yours. I am not going to be responsible for what Ranger thinks all by himself."

"I'll take my chances on the truth." Wait a minute, maybe not.

I reluctantly let Lester accompany me back to the comm. room. We were met by Ranger.

Ranger looked into my eyes and said, "Looks like you survived your time with Lester unscathed. It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be was it?"

"Actually, I don't remember too much, I got comfy and fell asleep. Les has great pillows," the words were tumbling out of my mouth before I realized what I could stop them. Fudge.

"Explain."

"Bomber, you promised you weren't going to say anything like that in front of the boss," a dumb ass grin was plastered all over his face. He looked so proud of himself, jeez.

I shot Lester an evil look, which he evidently missed.

"It was a hypnosis kind of a thing Ranger, completely innocent, really," I stammered.

A second ago, Lester was by my side; Lester had become smoke and was half way down the hall.

Ranger said, "As long as you are sure, I trust you but have issues with my friend who is skulking away."

"I really shouldn't have had any issues with this; being with Lester is more like being with Tank than I would have guessed."

Over his shoulder Lester shouted, "I heard that and am offended. You never once slept with Tank and you slept with me. We both know it."

"Not funny Lester, not by the longest shot."

Before the blank face could take over, I think Ranger looked crushed, "Babe, you didn't …"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean I wasn't like one of his 'dates'. I swear I didn't 'sleep with him' that way. It was like this, we were on the floor, lots of nice pillows, soft music, low lights. This doesn't sound good for either one of us does it?"

"Not in the least. Babe, I've got work to do."

"But … let me explain."

"Enough explanations, I do trust you but I really may need to put some kind of a guard on you when you are with Lester. Got a big client meeting to prepare for in the morning." With that he kissed me on the cheek and went back to his office.

This so didn't go the way I thought it might. Oh well, it was Friday and I had the whole weekend ahead of me.

I had an entire weekend without any break ins to my apartment, so maybe Ranger took the "sleeping together thing" a little more biblically than literally. Lester and I were going to have to have a talk.

Monday when it was my designated time to meet Lester, I saw the e-mail to meet him directly at his apartment. Lester wasn't going to escort me from my cube today. I wondered if he was afraid of Batman's reaction to Friday night.

When I got to Lester's apartment, Tank was standing in front of Lester's door. I smiled at my guardian and knocked on the door.

Lester opened after a few seconds, probably doing the last minute preparation thing. Lester was ready for the uninvited guest. Lester's apartment was set up the same as before, but a lot more pillows, flowers and candles.

Tank asked, "Mind if I join in today's session?"

"Fine by me," I replied with a smile, "but this is Lester's show, it is really up to him." As I said it, we all knew it was really up to Ranger and Tank was babysitting.

Lester looked at Tank and then me and said with sultry tone, "As long as you are sure, and I do mean _absolutely sure, _Ranger won't care that you sleep with both of us, I am good with it."

Nuts. Just who did he think I am?

With that Lester had me in the same position as before, but I was laid out between Lester and Tank. He did the same thing with the lights, music and his little speech. Before I knew what happened, I was back on my side, covered in the blanket being looked down on by the two Merry Men. Shit.

"Ranger's going to believe it but he isn't going to be happy," Tank said.

"Huh?" was my well formed response.

"Bomber, you really did sleep between the two of us. We have spent the last hour discussing our next big take down while you were snoring," Tank said with a huge smile.

"So what exactly are you going to say? Because if we aren't careful, these lessons in 'relaxation and balancing my energy' are going to become Merry Men sleepovers at Lester's. The whole office is going to wind up invited to watch me sleep and if that happens I am going to be banned from pineapple upside down cake for the rest of my life," I said groggily.

"Well, now that's something I never thought of. Hell, I could sell tickets or raffle them off! Steph's mom would just love that, wouldn't she?" Lester choked out.

Out from nowhere, it seemed, there was a knock on the door. Nobody was in a hurry to answer the door, so I got up off the floor, dusted my self off and headed to the door. Color me not at all surprised, it was Ranger.

"Babe, looking a little bleary eyed this evening, everything OK?"

Shit, he was back to the blank face and the tight voice.

He followed me into the living room and planted himself on the sofa. I guessed he didn't want to test the fates and get on one of the bean bags.

"Sure, why wouldn't it be? Lester and Tank have been trying to help me relax and center my energy and help me to get de-stressed."

He then noticed the pillows on the floor as well as the blankets. Thankfully the guys had turned the lights back up and the music off before Ranger walked in the door.

"Rangeman, it was exactly like Lester said the other night. She got relaxed, then comfortable and then the whole snoring thing happened. Lester finished his guided meditation and actually finished it when she was snoring to beat the band. We didn't know what it was going to take to wake her up." I had no idea that Tank was a tattle tell, yikes.

"Lester, for the good of her reputation and your continued good health, you need a new tactic with Stephanie starting tomorrow. You can continue to help her 'relax and rebalance' but not on the floor complete with music and lighting. Got it?"

"Got it, boss."

"Glad to hear it. I need to get organized for this evening's takedown. You with me Tank?"

"I'm with you and right behind you," Tank said with a smile.

The two men left quietly and peacefully, thank goodness. That's when Lester leaned over and said to me in a conspiratorial tone, "Tomorrow is all about music, movement and blindfolds. I didn't think we were going to have to ready for that so quickly, but it looks like my time table has just been moved up. See you tomorrow afternoon, Steph. Oh, and either wear or bring a skirt and bring some comfortable high heels, it will make all the difference, I promise."

Oh boy.


	6. Chapter 6

_**I own nothing, make no profit, but have enjoyed playing with all of the MM.**_

_**Thanks Jaime and Kate for their editorial powers and encouragement!**_

**Thanks to Rena and the Mods for a safe place to come and play!**

_The two men left quietly and peacefully, thank goodness. That's when Lester leaned over and said to me in a conspiratorial tone, "Tomorrow is all about music, movement and blindfolds. I didn't think we were going to have to ready for that so quickly, but it looks like my time table has just been moved up. See you tomorrow afternoon, Steph. Oh, and either wear or bring a skirt and bring some comfortable high heels, it will make all the difference, I promise."_

_Oh boy._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**Chapter 6 February Part 2**

The next day I knew better than to stop and see Ranger on my way to meet up with Lester, I wasn't too comfortable with the fact I had a duffle bag full of clothes and shoes and I wasn't even sure how I felt about that.

When I got to four, I marched down the hall with my head up high until I got to Lester's door. He was in sweats and looking like he had never been more comfortable or happier in his life. Again, he had no shoes. What was I getting into now?

"Steph, we are in for 'movie night' even though it is still the middle of the day. And then maybe something 'special'; it will depend on you. Seeing as you can't stay awake on the floor, we are going to try the sofa together this time."

"Sure, Les. Whatever makes you happy," I said convincing no one.

"Good, you sit here and wait while I get the popcorn. Beer, water or Coke to drink?" he asked casually.

"Water I think, thanks," I said.

"True balance isn't always achieved alone, sometimes you need a partner. That's what I was trying to do with the relaxation thing. Now we are going to try to do it differently. When I was a kid, I loved the old movie musicals, especially Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, watched 'em with my grandma. Each time a couple danced, each dancer trusted the partner to complete the steps and make the dance whole. Trust is a part of being balanced, having faith in something outside of yourself over which you have no control but know the best possible outcome will be achieved. Got it?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Good, then we are going to start this lesson with one of my favorites, 'Top Hat'. It is a little corny by today's standards, but quite a hit in its time. I want you to watch the way Fred and Ginger move together."

The lights dimmed, the movie came on and I was enthralled. The way the two of the moved together was literally like poetry, it was magic, it was amazing, it was Lester's favorite?

Stop the bus and back up a minute.

Big, strong, macho Lester likes Fred and Ginger? He knows all of the words to the songs? Who has taken possession of the body of this Merry Man? Surely there is something in the Rangeman bylaws that prevents them from knowing the words to _show tunes_? This just seemed wrong on so many levels.

The lights came up and Lester got off the couch. He immediately put on some kind of quiet jazzy music and then went into his bedroom.

He bellered from his room, "I am just going to slip into something less comfortable. It is time for you to put on heels, the skirt is optional."

I brought a mediumish pair of heels in the bag and put them on, I opted against the skirt. I had just finished buckling the ankle strap when the bedroom door re-opened and out came Lester, with a pair of dress slacks and dress shoes.

"Time to get up off the sofa; time to work Bomber," he said with a grin.

I rose and stood next to him.

Somewhere music got a little louder, it was pleasantly familiar but I just couldn't place it.

"Dancing relates to everything you do in life. It impacts how you present yourself to the world, how you walk, how you sit, how you stand. Dancing makes you aware of everything in your surroundings, because if you are unaware you will bump into the person or couple next to you. If you look good doing it, it's just a bonus. Got it?"

"Yep," I said. Hey, I cold master the whole one word sentence thing.

"Now, have you ever had dance lessons before?"

"Les, I grew up in the Burg, where every little girl is required to take some kind of dancing. My mom made me take ballet." OK, more than one word but he got the idea.

"Good, your body will remember how to position itself and how to follow music. Unless you got pretty far, you probably never danced with a partner though."

"Nope, it was a bunch of little girls in black leotards, pink tights and flat slippers trying to move to piano music."

"No leotards or tights needed here and heels are better than flats. If you change your mind and would be more comfy in a leotard with tights, I have no objection, I might even take pictures. This is going to be a kind of intro to ballroom, no real tricky maneuvers."

"Street clothes are just fine, thanks for the offer," I said to him.

He turned up the music asking, "Are you ready to trust me?"

"I guess so."

"I can either turn off the lights or I can …"

"Please leave on the lights."

"Ok, but if Ranger asks, you had a choice," he said as he pulled a blindfold out of his pocket. He crooked his finger for me to move closer to him.

Oh boy.

"You sure about this, Lester, maybe turning down the lights is better."

"Nope, you made a choice. Time to deal with your decision."

Crap. Living with my choices and dealing with my decisions seems like it was becoming a theme. Maybe I should start paying attention when my options are being presented to me, someday.

I moved in front of him and turned around. The blindfold was secured. I stopped breathing.

"Now we begin. I am going to put my hands on your waist and your hands on my shoulders. We are just going to sway to the beat to start."

He counted and I swayed. Eventually his feet started to move and mine followed. It seemed like forever and it seemed like no time at all passed. I became aware of everything around me that I couldn't see. The sounds of each instrument on the recording, the steady beat of Lester's heart, the smell of the stale popcorn, the smell of Lester's skin, did I mention the sound of the beat of Lester's heart? I eventually moved in closer to his space and put my head on his shoulder, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I could have stayed and swayed and followed his lead all night. Once I realized that I could be happy in his arms for a long time, I moved out of his space, as much as he would let me, and became aware of my surroundings, again.

"Steph, I think you've had enough for one day. Time to take off the blindfold and come back to reality. Intro to dancing is now complete. Tomorrow we'll see what we can do with you when you can see," he said with a wink.

I reached behind my head and untied the silk scarf. After it was off, I blinked a couple of times to re-adjust to seeing in the light. The first thing I focused on was Lester's grin. He was looking oh so proud.

When I left, I felt better than I had in a long time.

The next day was the same, except we watched 'Silk Stockings.' We both changed shoes after it was over, but this time the scarf was used to tie my hands.

What the heck?

Lester told me that in ballroom, the man is in charge but women tend to want to lead. By tying my hands in front of me and placing them on his chest, I had to _feel_ what he wanted and where he wanted to go. Oh brother. He was right, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

Just as I thought we were getting somewhere, everything changed. We had a pattern, I liked it. We were moving to different rhythms and making different patterns on the living room floor.

Ballroom lessons continued for the rest of the week in his apartment. I was proud of myself, I progressed enough that I was allowed to take off the scarf entirely; it was unsettling and sometimes off balancing at first to see what we were doing and at times I still closed my eyes.

After a three hour lesson in the living room, Lester took me back to my cube. It had gone exceptionally well. I was able to follow him in the basic box step, fox trot, and waltz. My eyes were shining and I couldn't get the grin to come off my face; then Ranger came up behind me.

"Nice lesson, Babe?"

"Yeah, the best. Lester doesn't even have to tie my hands up anymore."

"Come again?" Ranger asked.

"Bomber, gotta go. Rangeman, have a nice night," Lester said as he bustled down the hall.

"Stephanie," Ranger said, "have you had dinner yet? I was just about to call Ella and place an order."

Shit. Not Babe, not Steph, but Stephanie. He only used my proper name when he was really upset or needed to make a point.

"Yeah, Ranger, I'd like to join you for dinner," I said, smile somewhat faded fearing the "we need to talk" speech that was surely coming.

Ranger called Ella and placed a dinner order for two. We rode to seven in companionable silence, I didn't know if it was to stop possible the potential speech or whatever it was going to be. I just knew I liked the silence as a delaying tactic and was willing to go with it.

Once he opened the door and put his keys in the silver dish on the sideboard, he looked at me and said, "What's up with the tying up of the hands?"

"Well, Lester said it is easier for a woman to follow a man's lead if she can't use her hands. He's right."

"Babe," he sighed, "just how many ways are you following his lead?"

"You know, the usual. The stuff every girl needs to know to be a successful dance partner at a fancy party or a big wedding; the box step, fox trot, waltz. Like that."

We walked into the living room and took a seat on the sofa.

"Are you sure you aren't following his lead in any another ways?"

"He's offered to teach me salsa and mambo. He said if I had good enough rhythm he'd teach me to do the bachata, whatever that is."

"Babe, under no circumstances are you going to let Lester teach you bachata. If you want to, later, _I'll_ teach you bachata. I don't know if I would survive Lester's lessons on that dance."

"Ranger, I don't even know what it sounds like, so I don't think I am missing anything."

Ranger went to his entertainment center and thumbed through some of his music CDs, found one and put it in the player. He brought the CD to me on the sofa, somebody named Juan Luis Guerra, the song was called 'Bachata Rosa'. It was soft but had a very consistent beat, kind of romantic, sexy. ( you don't want me to do anything romantic with Lester?"

"Babe, much of the music is romantic. The beginner level of the dance is pretty easy, but the level Lester would take it to would make you blush. Then you would have to have Tank around for every session in a room with no cameras."

"That bad?"

"Not that bad. It can be that sexy, that intimate, that sensual," he said as his voice got husky.

I decided to bait Ranger, we still had a couple of minutes before Ella was due with dinner. So I said, "Could you _show me_ the difference between sexy and sexual?"

Quick as a flash, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up next to him. He said, "It's all done to a four or eight count."

The next thing I knew he had one leg between mine and we were doing "one, two, three, sexy hip" movements in his living room. After a couple of minutes, he started to move me in a pattern around the floor. Wow, Batman was really getting in touch with his inner John Travolta.

When he did an incredible dip, Ella knocked on the door. I was breathless, he was looking like a disappointed wolf, and I understood why he didn't want me to do _this_ with Lester. If Lester was as good at this as Ranger seemed to be, I would have my panties melted off my body in under two songs. Sound like a nympho? Yep, that's me. Better safe than sorry.

We had dinner but no more dancing. I thought Ranger wanted to preserve the status quo, I was willing to throw the status quo away. It seemed like we were never going to get in sync.

After dinner, I sat in his lap and he held me while we listened to some more music, same artist some of the beats faster a couple were slower but it was all to that amazing four count. Who would have thought the numbers four or eight could get my blood moving so fast?

Before the hour got too late, he took me back to four so I could crash in the safety of my own apartment. Too bad he probably wasn't going to break in tonight. In some ways, I was regretting more and more that this hadn't turned into a "dating game." Ah, cold shower time once again, too bad they were becoming less and less effective.

The next day, lessons had been moved to the conference room. Evidently, there was going to be a Merry Man posted outside the door from here on out. Ranger could only take so much and he was at about his limit. Lester gave me more room in my "frame" of dance space than before. Probably he had some kind of talk with Ranger before this particular lesson; seems that Latin music was now completely off the table. Oh well, maybe I could talk Ranger into "private lessons" with him after February was over.

At the end of the second week, Lester told me to take Valentine's day off, so I could be well rested and prepared. In front of everyone, he made a point of telling me, "Prepare yourself to do something you have never done before, it will leave you both laughing and breathless, you won't want to admit to anyone you have ever done it, and I promise you will glow for days afterwards."

Ranger's fists tightened by his sides as he growled out, "Santos, what exactly do you have in mind?"

Lester replied with a devilish grin, "Boss, even though Valentine's day is Thursday, I can only promise it won't be group sex night. Valentine's day is special and a young lady should do something special on that day or that evening. I don't think you'd be comfortable going with us, but you are invited if you don't trust me."

"I don't know about you, Ranger," I said keeping my tone light, "but Les has been a perfect gentleman and has done nothing my grandmother couldn't witness."

"Babe, your grandmother watches pay per view porn, there isn't a lot she wouldn't mind witnessing."

"Ok then, nothing _your_ grandmother couldn't witness," I said with a smirk.

I turned back to Lester, got the dress code and the time to meet him the next day. Jeans and a western shirt, comfy shoes, 6:15 pm at the parking garage.

Even though it was Valentine's Day and it wasn't _really_ a date, I found myself doing extra primping. I wore my best butt enhancing jeans and a my shirt was unbuttoned a little more than normal for me. I couldn't forget _kiss me senseless red_ for the lipstick. I had to have my priorities right.

Lester presented me with a corsage and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek for the cameras as we got into his Dodge pick up. He was dressed in snug jeans, oh boy, and his green button down shirt set off his eyes. I had never realized they were such a startling green before. Time for a mental head smack, I didn't look at Lester that way, did I? I mean, how could I have ever missed those eyes, that nose, those dimples? I thought I had been shot in the ass by one of cupid's little arrows and I was looking at Lester like he was on the dinner menu. This was not good.

We headed down the road for what seemed to be an eternity when we finally pulled off onto a country road. The traffic came to a crawl on the two lane road; seemed we were heading for a large non-descript building. The grange building turned out to be this multi-functional meeting place that was turned into something more for this occasion. Cupid went western! It seemed we were going square dancing. Yuck.

Lester took me to the beginners group, the oldest 14 year old girl in the group, yep that's me. I was paired with a gawky 14 year old boy who acted like he hit the jackpot. Lester played master instructor to my group of eight. He taught us the basic moves and what was required of each part. He also explained that the "caller" was in charge of the song; there were usually patterns but not always.

I did enjoy my hour on the dance floor's equivalent of the bunny slope, but was much relieved when Lester moved me into his "regular group"; he was no longer the caller and I was his partner for the rest night. I had learned enough from the first group to keep up, sort of, so that I had fun and didn't disrupt too much of the progress on the floor.

Turned out to be some of the most fun I had in years and Lester was right, I was breathless at the end, glowing and didn't want to admit to a soul what I had done. I also knew I couldn't wait to do it again! Who knew?

Lester made sure he returned me to my car in the garage before midnight. He kissed me gently on the cheek in full view of the camera and gave me a huge hug. I guessed that Ranger had given me a curfew and it was going to be enforced. I also guessed that Lester was trying to preserve his own hide. It really wasn't a sexy or romantic Valentine's Day but probably one of the best thought out and most enjoyable I had ever had. Lucky me.

Monday brought a "return" to normalcy; whatever normalcy was supposed to mean to me. But Lester no longer tried to get me to go to his apartment; I knew he hadn't run out of movies but I think he was feeling some pressure from Ranger to be observed a bit more.

The rules about no shoes and nothing in the pockets was back in effect, but now our location was changed to the gym, no audience and no chaperones, just the cameras which in so many ways were worse than chaperones.

Lester was in some loose white pants and a white tee that was painted on and outlined everything beautifully, yum. Cupid's little arrows were still working on my hormones and making me appreciate the work of art and sculpture known as Lester, ah.

Poor Lester, he had no such luck with his viewing 'pleasure'. I hadn't done laundry lately so I had on an old Snoopy as Joe Cool t-shirt and some less than flattering jeans, no holes but definitely not the stuff to attract anybody.

"Steph, you know how we've been doing that dancing lately? And remember how you told me that your mom had you in dance lessons as a kid," he asked.

I looked at him and just nodded.

"Well, we are going to take what we have been working on and combine it with martial arts. They have more in common than you know. You take some basic steps to a specified rhythm, vary the combinations and you can use some of it to defend yourself."

"Forgive me, but I don't get it."

"It is like this, when you do the fox trot there is a designated rhythm and a designated way you move your body, right?"

"Right, but when we do the fox trot, I don't generally get covered in mud or wind up on the ground," I said.

"You are right about that, but you are moving in a pattern that your body has learned how to respond to automatically. If you spend time feeling a rhythm and memorizing how it _feels_ to do some of the moves, you will be able to translate martial arts into dance and vice versa."

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Lester was nuts. I mean I thought he was nuts in a playful way, but this was more like nuts in an institutionalization kind of a way. Deciding on safety first, I decided to play along.

After some general dance and yoga type warm ups, we started with standing kicks, raising and lowering the body to change the destination of the kick. Then there was just general footwork that reminded me a lot of getting dizzy in ballet as a kid, but it was beginning to make some sense. We were there for what felt like hours, but was really much shorter than that. I didn't realize we were done until Lester took me in his arms and literally danced me out of the gym and out the door, show off.

"From here on in, we are going to be working in the gym. We may or may not have company. We will definitely have music. Don't forget that when I promise a girl a good time, I deliver."

I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, then I whispered in his ear, "Don't I know it. Is there any chance I can square dance with you again, Lester?"

"We'll see, if you are good and pay attention it might, maybe, possibly happen. Now you need to get out of here before Tank comes in to review _his_ martial arts moves on me."

Lester's new lessons still came with music, but who knew he was into the 80s? It had seemed that the 70s was really his thing, at least based on his apartment. Turned out that he loved "The New Romantics" and something referred to as Skaw in the 80s which to Lester basically meant Adam Ant, Squeeze and Madness. He had trained in a dojo when he was very young and his instructor played certain music for the drummer and not for anything else, Adam and the Ants had a drummer that the old instructor liked and Lester just didn't update.

Punches were trained to one beat and one specific song and kicks were trained to another. When it was time to go to the sparing action it, a real oldie was played it was Madness' "Baggy Trousers" for to learn the basic choreography and "One Step Beyond" for the actual sparing part. As I thought about it again Lester and Madness, it made a lot of sense. It seemed like he played these songs over and over to the point I thought I was going to go crazy, thankfully at one point Lester turned down the treble and all I could hear was the baseline. Even that became annoying in short order. Now I was beginning to understand how my mother felt when I was a teenager locked in my bedroom.

Lester "choreographed" several routines to different beats so that I could keep things going. What I found out later was that each move had a counter strike also choreographed, Lester knew both halves and started to "dance" the other parts with me music and all. Due to the amount of repetition we had it wasn't long before he could start something off and I could follow it. He said that while we were practicing it had to do with being aware of my surroundings and trusting my training partner, guess he was right.

By the time I "graduated from Lester's dancing and martial arts academy" on the last day of February, I was able to do some very basic martial arts, keep my wits about me and see what might be coming my way. I had a lot to be proud of and so did Lester.

"Steph, was it really all that bad?" he asked at the end of my last work out alone with him.

"Lester, I never would have thought that all of the stuff we did would work so well together. I am glad it did and I am glad you think outside of the box."

"Couldn't have asked for a better partner. Let me know if you want to keep any of it up, and how much of it you will want to continue to invest in. We make _beautiful music together_."

With that last comment, Ranger walked in.

He said, "Santos, it is time to change up the duty roster. Since you have both survived the month with no undue injuries, what duty or shift would you like to do next? "

"Why go to Disneyland, Bossman, of course," Lester said with a wink and a smile as he turned to go back down the hall.

Since the page on the calendar was going to turn tomorrow, my partner was going to change as well. Onwards and upwards to the Rangeman I felt I knew the least about, Hector. This was going to be fun?

_A/N: Many years ago I trained in Kemp Karate and the instructor did indeed use music and dance references to teach various katas and moves; it sounded hinky and strange to me at the time, but it did work._

_Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, it means the world to me. Alf._


	7. Chapter 7

_**I own nothing, make no profit, but have enjoyed playing with all of the MM.**_

_**Thanks Jaime and Kate for their editorial powers and encouragement!**_

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**Chapter 7 Hector**

March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, right? So why did I feel like March was going to put me in the eye of the storm known as Hector? You know, he appeared so calm on the outside but there was no way for me to know what was on the inside. Actually Hector was kind of like a box of Cracker Jacks, but I didn't really want to know what the surprise inside was. But it was his month and I was going to make the best of it.

Hector was the Merry Man I knew the least about. I could count on one hand the things I knew for sure, 1) he was member of a gang at one time, 2) he had gang tattoos, 3) he was gay, and 4) he was learning English but didn't speak it fluently, and 5) he was a gentleman around me. Oh yeah 6) he has never hurt me or put me in harms way. Anyway, what I knew now was enough to begin a relationship with any Merry Man, right? I mean when I got Tank shot a long time ago, and I didn't even know if he had a real first name.

Tuesday when I had just gotten settled into work for the day, I found an e-mail scheduling me to meet with Hector in Ranger's office at 9:00. Yeesh, good thing I was having a good hair day and I was on time this morning. There was no extra time to fluff my hair or add mascara so I moseyed down to Ranger's office.

Ranger and Hector were sitting at a small desk in the corner of the office laughing over coffee when I came in. Ranger was looking dangerous, as per his usual. Hector was dressed in his own style but still within the uniform guidelines. That meant that his clothes were about two sizes too big for him and there were lots of tattoos visible. Hector did have the most killer smile that would have given Lester a run for his money if Hector wasn't gay. I had recently been changing channels on the TV late at night and there was a video by this guy named 'Chelo' and the song was called 'Cha-Cha'. I didn't understand most of the words, but it had a good beat and the guy looked like he could have been Hector's brother, tats included.

"Babe," Ranger began, "I know that you and Hector are together this month, but you will be mornings in the office and afternoons to evenings with Hector. Since he is the office specialist on electronic installations he has cross trained a lot of the guys, but if a really big job comes in it is his first priority. If he wants to work the big jobs alone you'll have to find other ways to fill your time."

"No problem, you have to keep the company going," I said. I was crossing my fingers, just hoping that there would be a lot of big jobs coming in. I liked Hector enough to wave at him in the hallways and make brief small talk in the break room, but I was feeling goosey about spending time alone with him. Yeah, that's it, goosey.

Why couldn't he have gotten February? I would be a couple of days shorter with him, I could have defended myself, ok _enjoyed myself_, a little longer with Lester. Cripes, I never thought of Lester as a Merry Man I could trust myself to enjoy. Go figure. Then again, we were seldom without adult supervision.

I nodded trying to think how Hector and I were going to get through the month, pantomime, Pictionary, point and grunt? This was going to be a big pain in the whatzit, jeez. Good sport that I am, I just kept nodding, and nodding, and nodding and …. If this kept up, I was going to be confused with a bobble headed doll.

'Remember, Plum, you agreed to do whatever for a month with each Merry Man. Hector was up to bat, time to play "deal or no deal" and I guess the answer for today's contestant, Miss Stephanie Plum, is "deal."' I thought to myself.

"Steph, are you still with us here?"

"Sorry about that, Ranger, Hector. When do you want to get started, Hector?"

Ranger said a couple of things to Hector in Spanish, since my vocabulary is limited to a couple inappropriate phrases and words like "taco" and "burrito" I was pretty sure those weren't the things they were talking about. Too bad they weren't talking about food, I was getting a little hungry.

I was beginning to fantasize about possibilities for lunch when the Rangeman required ESP must have kicked in because both men laughed. Hector said, "Food?"

I, of course, nodded.

Hector took my hand and led me out of the office and took me down to the parking garage.

We got into the standard issue Rangeman black truck and headed out. The neighborhoods went from commercial to industrial, from industrial to modest income residential and down from there. A small, well worn but well kept house with a small chain link fence was evidently our destination. Hector got out first, opened my door and took my hand to help me out of the SUV. Such a gentleman, such a shame he's not on the market.

He smiled and pointed to the house saying, "La casa de mi tia, Alicia."

I nodded, smiling. As we walked through the yard and went to the door I noticed Hector kept his hand either on my back or draped over my shoulder, it felt nice but sort of possessive. Before Hector could knock the door was suddenly pulled opened by a middle aged woman who had a huge grin on her face. She pulled Hector into a hug and kissed him on both cheeks speaking very quickly in Spanish. When she finally let go of him, she did the same with me. Now my family isn't all that demonstrative, so I wasn't really sure how to take what was going on, I mean she looked so happy and so _relieved_ that I had come with him.

Hector didn't get a chance to say a word edgewise, this woman could have been from the 'Burg, her mouth never slowed down! She immediately started to say something to me in Spanish, I had no idea what it was and must have looked dazed and confused because she started again, more slowly and this time in English.

"I am sorry, I just assumed you spoke Spanish. You don't, do you? Canelo's friends all speak Spanish. Never mind, let me introduce myself I am Canelo's aunt, Alicia Garcia. You can either call me Tia or Alicia the choice is yours."

Didn't this woman ever come up for air?

"Nice to meet you, Alicia. I am Stephanie Plum. Please call me Steph. Excuse me, just who exactly is Canelo?"

She laughed and pointed at Hector, said something else rapidly, he blushed and nodded. She said, "Canelo is what the family has always called Hector. When Hector was a little boy he was the color of a cinnamon stick. His skin, his eyes and his hair were all a beautiful shade of light brown. His hair has gotten darker over the years, but he is still Canelo to us. Enough talking at the front door, it is time to get to lunch.

The kitchen table would have made any burg housewife proud, it easily sat 10 and it looked like it often did. Today, the table was set for the three of us.

Lunch was something she called Arroz con Pollo, but it was much more than rice and chicken, there was ham and olive in the dish. She laughed that, "I believe that haste makes waste, and I had a little ham that was left over, so why not?"

It was succulent, it was delightful, it was filling, it could easily be my new comfort food! After lunch, which was devoured in silence, I asked how hard it was to make. What? I always make an effort not to moan in front of strangers. Sometimes it works and sometimes not.

"It all depends on how large a skillet you have and how much time. It is pretty easy, relatively cheap, but you need the time to get all of the flavors to meld. I can teach you sometime if you want," Alicia said.

"No, that's OK, my largest skillet does two eggs and that's about it. I don't think I am ready to make a commitment to a large skillet right now."

Both Hector and Alicia laughed. Hector said, "I can help you, if you want, with the skillet."

Alicia chided him, "Are you sure you don't want to help her with the commitment?"

He looked at her and asked her to restate it in Spanish, and he said with a smile, "No, ella no es mi novia. Ahorita somos solamente amigos, nada mas. Te prometo." (No, she isn't my girlfriend. Right now we are only friends, nothing more. I promise you.)

Hector said to me, "Tia thinks I need a girlfriend, but I think other things right now are more important."

"Hector, I need all the friends I can get. I hope you are OK if we leave it at that for right now," I said. Hector smiled so I must have said the right thing.

Hector asked Alicia something, they spoke to each other rapidly in Spanish. Alicia said to me, "Of course he is a fine friend. But between you and me, Stephanie, I would love to see him in a happy, committed relationship."

"That is what my mother wants for me, too. Unfortunately what we want for others isn't always what they want for themselves. Alicia, would you like help with the lunch dishes?"

"No, but thank you for offering. Canelo has some things in the truck he needs help with."

Hector blushed and led me out the front door. When we got to the truck, he began to unload a couple of large boxes of food staples and an ice chest.

He said, "Sorry about my tia, she is, how do you say it, nosy. Yes, she's a little nosy about me. Please take these inside," as he handed me one of the boxes.

I carried the box to the house while he followed with two more. Alicia asked me to start unloading my box while Hector went to get the ice chest. There was a mountain of food to be sorted and put away. I doubted there was enough room for it all. After half an hour of sifting, sorting and sifting again the staples were all put away and Hector had taken care of the stuff in the ice chest.

Home delivery of groceries, a new Merry Man venture I was wondering to myself.

Hector did the ESP thing with me and said, "She is good to me, and she is family. I help her sometimes."

Alicia started to say something when Hector hushed her. They spoke rapidly again in Spanish, exchanging nods and smiles.

She said to me, "Canelo has to get back to work for something this evening. I am glad he brought you. You are welcome anytime, I hope you can come back."

With that she kissed me on both cheeks and did the same to Hector. She walked us to the door and waved us good bye.

Hector once again draped his arm over my shoulders on the way back to the truck. He opened the door for me, helped me in and closed it again. We went back to Rangeman in silence.

We were greeted in the comm. room by Ranger. Hector and Ranger did the ESP thing and then Hector headed in another direction.

"How was it today, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"It was nice, I had a good time," I replied.

"Do you think you will be OK with Hector this month?"

I just nodded.

"Glad to hear it. I will be looking at real estate out of town most of the month. Because of the language barrier, if you need help, contact Lester. I have a feeling Lester will be around anyway."

Who did he think I was that I always wanted/needed adult supervision? Then again, if the whole mime thing didn't work out, Lester might make a good translator.

Ranger's phone began to ring and in under five words he was gone again, vanished just like smoke. One of these days I wanted him to teach me how to do that.

The next day, Hector was at my cube and asked, "Lista? I mean ready?"

I nodded that I was and I shut down my computer for the day.

We headed back to the parking garage, he did the whole gentleman thing of opening the door and helping me in; a girl could get used to this, you know?

The truck seemed to drive itself to a part of Trenton I wasn't too familiar with. It was an industrial area near the rail road tracks. I looked over to Hector who was in the typical Rangeman zone, was that a job requirement or what? When I finally got his attention, he said to me, "Almost there."

"Where is there, Hector?"

He pointed in the distance to a tiny nondescript building. On the top it read "Child Crisis Nursery" and it looked like that was where we were going. This didn't seem to be the kind of a place that could afford Rangeman services, probably wouldn't need them.

We parked along the side of the building. It was large, clean and very industrial. There was a small fenced in play area for young children just outside the front doors. As we entered, several people nodded to Hector and he acknowledged them with a tilt of his head, saying nothing, typical Rangeman.

A woman in her early 30s rushed out from behind the front desk and greeted him. Like yesterday, there was the affectionate hug, kissing on the cheeks and a quick exchange in Spanish. It felt like déjà vu all over again, except this time it didn't seem like lunch was going to be involved, drat it all.

Before the woman had a chance to say anything to me, Hector said, "Claudia, this is Stephanie, my friend. Stephanie this is Claudia."

She took my hand in hers and said, "Nice to meet you Stephanie. Canelo is very special to us."

Hector shot Claudia a look that clearly said, "Enough." Even though I now knew there was a softer side to Hector, I don't think he was ready for me to know just how soft the softer side was.

Evidently the message was quickly received. "Ok, Ok. Do you have something for us today, or just visiting?" she asked.

"Two boxes today, it is all I have. I wanted to be sure you were here first."

I followed him to the truck, again with the arm draped over the shoulder, the whole touching thing again.

Judging from the back of the truck, it seemed like someone had been playing Santa. There were two boxes that were overflowing with like new toys. I was puzzled by the contents, but decided silence was the best choice.

We delivered the boxes to Claudia and got ready to leave when several small kids ran up to him and threw their arms around his legs and waist. One of them cried, "Did you come to play with me today?" Before he could respond, a small boy said, "No, I am his favorite, he is here to play with me."

Hector gently removed their hands from his body and smiled, he said to them, "Today I am with _her_," he indicated to me, "Next time, I promise. OK?"

A small voice said, "What's so great about _her_ anyway?"

Hector said, "You are my friends, but she is also my friend. It is good to have many friends, right?"

The small voices said, "I guess" and "Right" but clearly they weren't buying it.

After the kids realized he wasn't either staying or playing, he called goodbye to Claudia and we headed back to the truck. Again with the touching and the manners thing, maybe I could get used to being treated like a lady after all.

"To the office?" I asked.

"No, we have another place," he said quietly.

He drove in the typical Rangeman zone but he had the radio on to some channel that picked up Spanish language ballads. We hadn't gone too far before we reached another small, nondescript building. This one had a more dominant sign on the front stating proudly "Boys and Girls Club."

Same drill as before, wait for Hector to open my door, let him help me out, blah, blah, blah. It would be faster if he believed I could open my own doors, but it made him happy and I was still a little worried about the tattoo of the teardrop. Better to keep Hector happy.

When we got to the front desk a young boy smiled up at him and asked, "Can you fix it for sure this time?"

Hector smiled at him and simply said, "Yes."

Hector and I wandered the building to a little room that was full of kids sitting around tables and desks with vaguely familiar looking computers and monitors. Hector went to the table where the sole adult was sitting looking bored and they had a brief conversation.

The adult introduced himself to me as John. John told the kids they needed to shut down for a little while so Hector could work on the network. There was audible groaning and moaning. Whines of, "why now" and "does he hafta do it today" could be heard. John took no bull and no prisoners and made the kids leave.

Hector went to John's desk and started to do some kind of voodoo on the computer. After a while of not being satisfied, he opened the briefcase of tools and started to unbutton the PC. He swapped some boards and played with connections and mumbled to himself. It seemed like he worked for hours in silence, but it was really only about 45 minutes. He put the PC back together, rebooted the system and fiddled some more. Finally he smiled, went and found John who got the kids. It was time to leave.

It was still early in the afternoon when we got back to the office on autopilot. Hector drove us back to the office on auto pilot. He was acting like he was trying to make a decision about something. When we got to the elevator, he asked me to wait for him at my desk. The doors opened and we parted company and I got back to my regular day.

A few minutes later, Hector and Lester were both at my desk, smiling. What the heck?

Lester said, "Beautiful, Hector wants to go over some stuff with you and he wants to make sure the language thing isn't going to be a problem. He has asked me to translate."

"Ok. Shall we adjourn to the break room?"

"He's kind of a private guy," no kidding, "and he doesn't want everyone to know what all he's got going on. So we are going onward and upward to his place."

There was the typical silence in the elevator. Whatever. Lester got out first, leading the way again. Hector held the elevator door for me and guided me down the hallway. With such nice manners you would never suspect he had ever had a gang affiliation, go figure.

Most of the Merry Men had big entertainment centers and oversized leather furniture, not Hector. Hector's apartment looked it was sort of like going to the backroom of some kind of a repair shop. There were boxes of computer parts, assorted toys, tools everywhere and a couple of work benches. The walls were decorated with bookshelves, virtually all of the titles I could see were in Spanish and appeared to be well read. There was a small bed in the corner and a couple more tables in the dining area but it looked like no one ever ate there. There was a threadbare sofa and a coffee table which was where Hector directed us to sit.

Lester waved his arm around the place like he was Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune flipping the next letter. In his best radio announcer voice he said, "Welcome to Canelo Laredo's Repair shop. He fixes anything and everything from old manual typewriters to the latest gizmos that are electronic."

"Very nice," I said.

"Ok Beautiful, you already know that Hector does the complex electronic installations for Rangeman, right? Haven't you ever wondered how he got smart enough to do all that?" Lester asked.

"Yeah." I was being eloquent again. Jeez.

"Steph, since you are doing your month with Hector, he wants you to be one of the few people around this place who really does know him. Most of what he looks like and the way he acts on the street are just a front for a really nice guy."

Ok.

"He's only 24 and has been here in Jersey for four years. He was raised in Hermosillo, Sonora about 100 miles from the Arizona/Sonora border. He was actually born in Douglas, Arizona and so he's got US citizenship. So does his brother. They are both here in Jersey now."

"Keep going, Lester."

"I'm getting there. Anyway, he was going to the university studying engineering when his mom died four years ago. The family had no way to support him or his younger brother when she died. The guys decided it was time to exercise their options and come to live in the US. You met Alicia Garcia, right?"

"Right."

"She's his mother's sister. She took Hector and his brother, Chuy, in when they decided to come north. Chuy finished high school here and Hector started working his engineering and electronics skills on the wrong side of the law for a while. School forced Chuy to learn English; Hector didn't want to learn English and found a group of people he could be with where language wasn't a barrier."

"Hector, why didn't you want to learn English?" I asked.

Hector and Lester talked a bit between themselves before Lester answered the question.

"Hector wants to know why you don't want to get to know your gun better."

"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"Actually, it has a lot to do with it. Hector knows enough English to keep out of trouble but not enough to always follow complete conversations. Before he was at Rangeman it just wasn't important. Why should he take the time to learn something that he wasn't going to need or use? Now what he wants to know is, why don't you want to learn to use your gun?" Lester asked.

"Jeez. Hector and I are more alike than I want to think. I guess I don't want to learn my gun because it is one more thing to be responsible for. You, Lula and the guys are usually with me if things get dangerous or serious, so I really don't _need_ to know. I mean I know how to make it go 'bang' and which direction the bullets go in, that's enough for me."

"Yeah, but sometimes we aren't there. Wouldn't it be safer if in a dangerous or serious situation you knew you could handle it on your own? How would you handle a weapons failure? Do you know the best way to carry concealed on your body? Do you just like to use your gun as a way to weigh down your purse? These are things you really should think about."

"I guess. I just never really thought of it that way before. Is that how Hector thinks about English? That someone else is usually there who can fill in the blanks for him, so why bother?"

"Pretty much, but not quite. Learning English has been a bother, he's been through a lot of change in culture, family and education. In Mexico he was at the top of everything and it was effortless; he isn't at the top here and it's hard for him. He wants to go back to school, but it's a daunting prospect. No one likes to start their life over."

The two men talked a little more and then both smiled.

Lester wiggled his eyebrows as he said, "He'll make a deal with you. He'll make a real effort to learn English and get back into school. First he has to pass the TOEFEL exam, he'll study if you start getting serious about your gun. You'll trade English for firearms during this month in addition to installs, he's even going to throw in basic breaking and entering. What do you say?"

What could I say? This felt like blackmail. I was a mere pawn on the chess board getting played with again. I mean, if I agreed I was going to be stuck at the range for endless hours shooting at little paper men who had never done me any harm. Basic breaking and entering might be good, I mean the rest of the world could get into my apartment without a key, why shouldn't I? If I didn't agree, Hector may or may not go back to school and really make a big change in his own life. Yep, blackmail. Definitely this felt like blackmail.

"I'm in. But we are going to have to do some of this together, translator boy. Do I get one specific coach for shooting, or do you guys trust me to go to the range on my own?"

"The whole team will take turns coaching you in shooting over time, but this month it will be part of what you do with Hector."

"Les, as long as we are doing the whole question and answer thing here, how did Hector get a job at Rangeman? This isn't the kind of place the puts ads in the Sunday paper."

"Hector's aunt knew Ranger's mom somehow. They used to do the morning coffee thing and it came up that Ranger was needing someone good with electronics and that Hector might just be that someone. Initially Ranger kind of liked the fact that Hector had all the tattoos and didn't speak a lot of English, the clients didn't get in Hector's way during an install and Hector didn't dawdle while he was there. It was what Hector needed to clean up life."

"Hey Les, can you get him to fill in some blanks for me?"

"I can ask. What specifically do you want to know about?"

"What's with the toys for the crisis nursery place and the computers at the Boys and Girls Club?"

"I can answer part of that. Ranger is always looking to keep up a good civic profile, you know? Donating the computer systems for the kids at the club does two things. First it gives a designated charity for Rangeman to use for its old computer equipment. Second it gives the kids in the neighborhood access to technology their families could never afford."

Just like Ranger, finding a way to better the community and having good business practice. No wonder he did so well in business.

"Ok, that's one thing. How about the Child Crisis Nursery? What gives there?" I asked.

"Some of our old cameras and equipment are there to monitor and protect the women and children who are in battered and abusive relationships. Rangeman does the monitoring as a civic thing," Lester told me. He continued, "When the guys' kids, nieces or nephews outgrow their toys or there is a problem with them, we give them to Hector. Hector likes to keep his hands busy when he isn't working. When the toys are in back in good shape they go to the crisis nursery."

"Is this a big secret or something? I mean if I had known I would have given Val's kids toys to you guys."

"Not so much of a secret as something _private_. Not all of us are from good family backgrounds and some of our moms took us places like that when we were little to keep us safe. We don't like to think about the sad parts of our pasts; it is a way we all get to give back. Hector doesn't have any kids and had a pretty good childhood, but he saw a lot of poverty in Hermosillo."

The two guys put their heads together and talked softly for a little longer. I felt like a fifth wheel, someday I've got to learn Spanish. They smiled and rose from their seats.

Hector said to me, "Tomorrow, you and me all day here. OK?"

"Sure, no problem Hector," I said. Lester and I headed out to leave the apartment when Hector and Lester did the "man hug" thing, odd. Then Hector reached over to me, gave me a hug and kissed me on both cheeks. Strange. I never thought of Hector as being the touchy feely type, but he seemed to do it every time we met and parted.

After we left the apartment I called Lester on it. "What was that about at the end, Les?"

"You know how he opens all the doors for you and won't let you open bottles and stuff?" I nodded. Lester continued, "It is a cultural thing. You embrace your friends and family when you say both 'hello' and 'good bye' in lots of Latin families; Hector is starting to think of you as family, it is quite the compliment. By the way, he also wants you to start calling him 'Canelo'. You have made it to the inner sanctum, Bomber."

The next morning I didn't even go to the comm. floor, I headed straight to Hector's apartment. When I got inside, we did the whole hug and kiss thing from yesterday. He had me sit over by the workbench. There was a box of toys that looked to be in rough shape, another box of rags and some cleaners. Guess we were doing the toy thing today.

"Hector," I started.

"Canelo," he said.

"Ok, Canelo. Are we both cleaning, because I can clean but I can't fix anything."

"I know. You clean. I fix. We have lunch and do something else."

His English didn't sound too bad, a little stilted and uncomfortable, but not bad at all. I cleaned toys and passed them to him for inspection. Those that passed, he fixed. Those that didn't got passed back to be cleaned again. We mostly worked in silence and before I knew it, it was time for lunch. My stomach growled to make sure he knew exactly what time it was.

He stood, handed me a briefcase with some tools and picked up a box with a bunch of cables in it. "Time to eat. Let's go," he said.

We headed for the parking garage, when Ranger called out to Hector. Ranger said something really fast in Spanish and the only word I recognized was "napoleon". Hector seemed to be agreeable and we left. What, napoleon is a food word, actually a pastry word, and I'm good with food and even better with pastry.

We got into the truck, the radio went on and Hector was in his 'zone'.

We eventually pulled into a strip mall. There was a small restaurant with very little signage, all of it was in Spanish. You could tell it had been there forever. The place was pretty much empty and there didn't appear to be anyone working the front. Hector shouted something to the back of the room and we sat down. Eventually someone came out with menus. Hector didn't even open his and I couldn't read mine. I asked Hector to order something for me as long as I got a Coke.

A few minutes later a bowl of chips and three kinds of salsa appeared on the table. We both dove in, I looked for the one that was the most mild, I think Hector wanted the one that was the most powerful.

When we had almost finished the bowl, the server brought two identical plates with the biggest burritos I had ever seen, not to mention the rice and beans.

I looked at it and before I could say anything, Hector said, "Carne asada. Steak with tomatoes, onions and guacamole, it's good."

I smiled, he smiled and then he dug in. Not to be outdone, I did the same. Oh my, it was an explosion of tastes that were perfectly melded. Just enough spice, just enough tomato and just juicy enough to take three napkins. I must have moaned because Hector gave me a strange look more than once. Whatever.

It took me no time to finish what was on my plate and realize that neither of us had said a word since we started to eat. When we were both done, Hector shouted something again aimed at the backroom. A grunt came as the reply. Hector stood, opened his wallet and threw some money on the table.

"Time for some fun now," Hector said as he guided me out of the restaurant and into the SUV.

We hadn't been back in the SUV for very long before Hector pulled into another strip mall. There was a sign I could read, hey it was in English. The sign read, "European Bakery" hmm sounded good to me, especially since that appeared to be where we were headed. Oh boy!

It was small and nondescript kind of like the taco place we had just been, lots of small and empty tables, signs were posted in three or four foreign languages. At the front of the store was HEAVEN. It was a bakery case that was bigger, brighter and fuller than anything the Tasty Pastry ever thought of having! It was filled with a lot of French, luscious lovelies that smelled so good that I might give up jelly doughnuts forever. Then again, maybe not.

A petite man with white hair and mustache came out from the back room. He took one look at Hector and me and went back into the back. Another man, much younger came to the front. Slowly looking up he asked in heavily accented English, "Can I help …"

The younger man immediately became quiet, ran round to the front of the case and hugged Hector like he hadn't seen him in years. A flurry of Spanish was exchanged between the two men, smiles and more hurried conversation. I was feeling out of place.

Eventually, they realized I was there. The younger man turned to me, hugged me and then twirled me around several times. When he finally put me down he said, "Sorry, just excited to meet you in person. I am Hector's brother, Chuy."

I see. Why on earth would he be excited to meet me?

Hector came over to me, put his arm over my shoulder and nodding in the direction of his brother, said, "I didn't know he was here today. We are working in the backroom today."

The two men became animated again, words flying like Frisbees in the park during summer. I was still feeling out of place when I found myself being ushered into the backroom. It was typical for a professional bakery: several ovens against the walls, several large refrigerators, a large sink, racks of ingredients, and four stainless steel work tables. The walls were decorated with postcards and old calendars. In one corner there was another stainless steel table with a microwave oven that was used as a desk. Above the desk area there was an old stereo system with components on several shelves.

Hector said to me, "This is today's lesson."

"I don't cook, surely you can't expect me to cook!" I said the panic was rising in my voice.

"We are fixing and wiring the stereo," Hector said.

"Oh, thank God," I said much relieved.

I hadn't realized he brought in his briefcase in with him. He opened it and extracted a number of wires like you'd see at a Radio Shack; speaker wires and red and white RCA patch cords. Even in college I hadn't wired my own stereo, my roommates usually did that and now all I had was an old radio so no need to learn what this stuff was for. Dillon wired my TV to my DVD player, so there was really no need to know what was going on.

It was decided to leave the components in place and I would pass the gizmos, wires and things to Hector as he asked for them.

Hector would mutter, fiddle with something and mutter some more. Finally I said to him, "Does Ranger know this is what we are doing today? I mean, is he really paying you to do this?"

Chuy, who had been watching us, answered for Hector, "He's doing it for the pastry. My brother splits his take with Ranger."

Ah, I see. Hector can be bought for pastry, good to know. Wait a minute, you can pay Ranger off with pastry? I've never seen him get excited about anything at the Tasty Pastry.

I must have had quite the look on my face because Hector said, "Special pastry, you'll see."

Now I am a girl who has never met a pastry she didn't love; but what was so special about this, anyway? I was guessing I would have to wait until Hector was done doing his magic on the stereo.

Hector got done, smiled at his brother and said, "Anything else?"

Chuy looked puzzled before he answered, "No. Why English today? You don't like English."

That brought another flurry of Spanish, more smiling, laughing and nodding. Everyone wandered back to the front of the bakery, somehow the case was opened and two large boxes were produced.

"What is your pleasure, ma'am?" asked Chuy.

'Oh, God, just look at this case, what wouldn't be my pleasure,' I thought to myself. Aloud I said, "What's good? I mean, what do you recommend?"

"It all depends on what you like. We have plain napoleons, peach, strawberry, mocha, hazelnut, white chocolate and chocolate. There are also the éclairs and cream puffs."

'Couldn't I just have one of each?' I thought to myself.

"Sure, you can have one of each," the brother said with a smile.

Fudge, must have been thinking out loud again.

"I didn't really mean that. I mean. What I mean is, it all looks so good I'd like to buy one of everything, but don't think I have that much money."

"Your money isn't good here, Stephanie," he said. "When you are with my brother, all the pastry you want is free. It is how we pay him. He handles all the electrical emergencies and minor stuff like today."

Ah. Ok. Work for food, novel concept but definitely one I could get behind.

My eyes must have glazed over because Hector said to me, "One box for you, that's it."

I smiled up at him, knowing one box might not be enough, "Why one?"

"You can't have more than Ranger. Ranger always gets one box," he said.

Ranger? Ranger always gets one box? Of pastry? The high priest of his own personal temple with a box of pastry, who would have thought? Does Ella know about this? Should I alert the media? Is this one of the signs of the Apocalypse?

"Yes, Ranger," Hector said, "likes this pastry. It is different from what Ella makes. The owner won awards for many years in Europe and in Asia."

While all this talking was going on, two boxes were filled to overflowing. Then it was time to go.

Hector did the man hug thing with his brother and the owner. The owner came over to me and did the two kiss thing really fast. The brother took me in his arms, twirled me again and kissed me on both cheeks. This was feeling surreal; it was like I had changed countries without leaving the county. Everyone Hector knew was touchy feely and they wanted to touchy feely me. I wondered how this would have worked out if Ranger had been with me, probably not so touchy feely. Hmmm?

Once we got back to the office, Hector sent me to his apartment to wait for him. The stinker took _both boxes_ of pastry with him. Evidently he gave one to Ranger, because he only had one with him when he came back.

He got a book from the shelf and handed it to me. "This is the afternoon, now English." It was a text book for English as a second language; I guess just call me Ms. Plum tutor extraordinaire.

I must have been looking disappointed at the lack of sweets.

"After English, pastry. OK?" Hector asked.

Great, more blackmail. But when luscious looking pastry was being held hostage, what should a girl do? Of course I agreed.

We set a timer and set to work on basic vocabulary words. I was trying to see how much he really knew and he was surprised at how much he already understood.

By the time we were done, it was almost time to leave when I got my reward. Hector got out two forks and plates, then he put one piece of pastry on each plate. With the first mouthful all I could think was, 'Oh my. Oh god. Oh my god.' If heaven had a taste, this was it. I mean I have eaten some good food, but never anything like this. The cream was sweet without being too sweet. The texture was perfect. I knew I would never get tired of eating it. Now, at last I knew, I could die happy. If I ever had to, I could replace sex with this stuff it was so good; Ok maybe not _replace _sex completely, but it gave way to all sorts of fantasies. It was something to think about.

I have always had use of the Rangeman gun range at my disposal, I just never felt disposed. Now every morning before my shift, I had to meet Hector there. He looked over my Smith & Wesson .38 and decided to give me something different from the weapons locker, it was a Smith & Wesson Model 34 Kit Gut in .22. He told me it would be easier on my hand for practice but worked just like my regular carry gun.

I was getting better because I didn't worry about the kick I got from the .38, but still felt guilty about putting holes in those little innocent paper men. Just as soon as I got comfortable with the target at one distance, Hector would change the distance to make it harder for me. Thanks, buddy.

Sometimes if I wasn't looking, he would switch the .22 I was practicing with for the .38 I carried; I wouldn't know until I pulled the trigger what had happened. When I called him on it he said, "You need to be aware of everything." Both Tank and Ranger would have been proud of his answer. It just made me a little pissy.

Realistically, I couldn't argue with his answer could I? I mean he couldn't switch guns on me if I were paying attention. I needed to be aware of my surroundings even when I thought I was with people I liked and trusted. Wonderful.

After the range, I would do my thing upstairs for a while. Sometimes we did the lunch thing together and sometimes not. We never did make it back to the aunt's house, I think Hector was afraid of the girlfriend and commitment questions.

We spent several afternoons doing basic installations. When Lester would join us, the jobs took twice as long as when we were alone. Maybe there was something to be said for not speaking the same language, it required you to do the work and be done and over with it.

Most days when the installs were over, we hit the books. After we were done with the books, there was more of that glorious pastry. I knew he was working on his vocabulary at night after I left because he kept trying to show off new words that we hadn't been covered before.

Sometimes he would try a new word and use it in the wrong context, so if you didn't really know what he was getting at you might get the wrong meaning altogether. It could be a bit of a puzzlement to do the vocabulary thing, on more than one occasion I had to call Lester to try to figure out what Hector meant opposed to what he said. It would have been funny if it had only happened the one time, but it seemed like I was calling Lester every day so we could work out what he really wanted to say and how to say it.

Lester, the rat, had told Ranger about the vocabulary lessons and gun range swap. Ranger was jealous he hadn't thought of something like that earlier so my gun and I would become friends. When Ranger was in town he'd stop by some evenings and check the vocabulary progress and find out how I was doing with the installation stuff. Ranger would ask about the range; I never admitted that sometimes Hector changed my gun on me.

The more we were together, the more comfortable we got around each other. It seemed like the more we were together, the more I found him putting an arm around my shoulder or our legs would be touching under the table. And always there was he kiss both 'hello' and 'good-bye'. Seemed that Hector was a very tactile person and just enjoyed touching, not my family's thing, but I could make the adjustment.

On the days when things were slow at Rangeman, we would deliver toys to the crisis place or check in on the Boys and Girls Club. The kids got used to seeing me with Hector, but they were never pleased. I took away their favorite playmate when he was with me.

Ah, I hadn't realized that by training in installs, I was also training in how to take the smaller systems apart. Duh. Maybe this was how I was going to learn B&E, hmm. I'd have to check with Hector to see if I was right about that.

After the job taking things apart, I asked more questions about how to bypass things and how things worked. Proudly, he answered every question – some of the answers were done in mime and some using a mixture of languages but I always got the message; I could do this if I tried.

The second to last day of the month, I found my own set of lock picking tools left on my desk with a card signed simply from _Canelo_. Did this guy know how to pick a girl a present or what? I was touched, I was beside myself, I was wondering when I'd get to use them!

The next day we went back to the European Bakery we had a big box of locks with us. We entered the building from the back, evidently they were expecting us because neither man lifted so much as an eyebrow at our arrival. There were grunts of "hey" and "que onda" but that's about it, no surprise no exaltations, no hugging and no kissing. The bakery had some big, fancy wedding to do the cake for and the bride was due shortly to pick it up.

Hector got two small chairs from the front and brought them to the backdoor. He unloaded some screwdrivers from his kit and then started to dismantle the lock that was on the door. It looked easy enough. Then he said, "Now you learn to put it on, I show you how to open it easily, then we take it off again." So that's what we did. We did it with several different locks of differing makes and models. It didn't seem all that difficult, but the door was open most of the time and I knew if I knocked I could get back in.

After three hours Hector decided we had had enough for the day. He exchanged words with his brother and we all wandered to the front of the display. We did the two boxes thing the first was filled with the plain napoleons, and this time with just a wink but not a word, the second box was being filled with one of everything.

When we got back to the office, Hector made a show for the monitors of kissing me on both cheeks and handing me Ranger's box of pastries. Hector got off on four and I went on to the comm. room. Knowing I was being watched, I hightailed it to Ranger's office. I knocked on the closed door.

"Hey Ranger, anybody home?" I asked.

"Yeah, Babe. Come in and make yourself at home," came Ranger's reply.

"I've got a delivery for you from Canelo," I said.

"Canelo now is it?" he asked.

"It's been Canelo for a long time. It just slipped. I try to keep it Hector here, but he likes Canelo when it is the two of us or when we are at one of his job sites. I think he likes me."

"Babe, I know he likes you. You do know he won't even let me call him 'Canelo' just you and Lester. He likes me because I am his employer, but he likes to keep some distance between employer and employee."

"Anyway, I've got your box of napoleons from the bakery. Thank you for letting us go and play with the locks there."

"Excuse me? You did what with Hector?" he asked sounding far less than pleased.

"You know, you've promised I would learn some basic B&E. Hector said the same things to me. _You _never gave me a commitment on learning B&E and Hector did. You're a busy guy and Hector had the time to teach me. So, today I got to play with my new lock picking tools. You knew about that, right?"

"No, Hector and I hadn't really discussed the agenda. I honestly didn't think you would make it this far with him considering the language barrier. Babe, you're going to have to pardon me. I've got a call to make. Thanks for thinking of me and bringing me my sweets, it was very nice of you. I'll talk to you later."

He kissed me on the temple before I left the room. When I closed the door I heard Ranger's voice on the phone sounding more than a little miffed. All I heard of the conversation was, "Hector" I guess there was going to be some explaining to do and it wasn't going to be me.

Guess Ranger wasn't really aware of as much as he thought. Maybe I wouldn't be needing him so much in the future. Probably I would, but I wanted to be able to try things for myself.

All things considered, it was a pretty mellow month. The mostly what I got out of it was that 1) pastry was good, 2) Hector and Lester together could be sneaky and 3) Hector was really into the whole touchy-feely thing.

I was crossing my fingers that Bobby would be mellow and that April was going to be smooth. But if March came in like a lion and out like a lamb, did I need to be worried? I mean they slaughter lambs, don't they?

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Reviews do tend to spur the muse along._

_The bakery does exist and the pastry is that good. It is located in Phoenix (the owner of bakery is unaware he and shop have been fictionalized)_

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	8. Chapter 8

**No Merry Men were harmed in the creation of this story. They will all be returned unharmed (mostly) at the end.**

**Jaime: I couldn't have done this without you and the wee-hours of the morning editing/brainstorming sessions. You rock!**

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 8 ****♣**** April Bobby**

In the very recent past, I thought I knew what a typical Rangeman was: built, efficient, economical with words, loyal to a fault, had no personal lives and had no outside interests. The further we got into what I was now thinking of as _Operation Expand Stephanie's Horizons_ the more I realized that there really was no such thing as a typical Rangeman. The more I learned about each of the guys so far, the more I realized I really knew nothing about them.

On March 31st, I had an e-mail from Bobby to bypass the office for April 1st, the first day of my new month and new horizons. I noticed that it had been copied to both Ranger and Tank; it looked real enough. If the memo was an April Fools Day joke, I was afraid of being played. I decided that caution was the better part of valor and so went in extra early the next day. I told myself I was being cautious. I was really afraid that someone had overturned stuff on my desk or that all my passwords on the computer had been changed.

I was both relieved and disappointed to find that nothing had been done to "honor" the day. I crossed my fingers that this was a good omen. I mean, it's just Bobby. Probably we would be doing disaster preparedness, hopefully he would carry this whole "project" because he knew I didn't do the whole "blood and guts" thing. I mean, the reason I didn't ever go to the hospital wasn't because I was never injured but because I would have to _look_ at what had happened and I just never had the stomach for that. God love the people who could and did, but I was never going to be one of them.

Bobby's apartment was actually twice the size of the standard Rangeman issue and it looked like it was handicapped accessible. Why would it need to be that? Mental head slap, duh he is the medic for the group and the walking wounded come here

I knocked on the door at the designated time, 8:00 am. Some day I was going to have to figure out why these guys all seemed to like the early morning hours. Me, 10:00 was a good time to roll out of bed and get the day started. I knew I was never going to change any of them, I was just glad Bobby wasn't looking for a 7:00 meeting.

Bobby answered the door in "regular" clothes. It seemed odd for him to be dressed like that since it was a work day, but with the way the jeans were clinging just right and the shirt looked painted on I for one wasn't going to complain about the view. I decided then and there that the higher purpose of Rangeman must be to provide me with eye candy. Thank God eye candy had no calories or I would go into a diabetic shock on a regular basis.

He just smiled up at me and said, "Morning, Bomber. Coffee?"

"Yes, yes, yes," I said, sleep still thick in my voice. I mean I had been up a couple of hours, but it just seemed so _early_ this morning.

"We'll do the grand tour. After that, I've got a mug for you on the counter next to the pot. Grab whatever you want to add into it, all the cream and stuff is sitting on the counter."

Grand tour? I hadn't been in the bedrooms of the other guys and I was suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Surely Ranger wouldn't want me poking around in the bedrooms of the guys, would he?

Bobby paid absolutely no attention to my discomfort because he went straight into the speech and tour. "As you know, I was a medic in the service and that's part of what Ranger has me do here. After I got hired, Rangeman paid for me to continue my education. Actually I am considered a nurse practitioner."

Yeah, OK.

"Anyway, he gave me free range to set up my shop the way I wanted to when I started. And what I wanted was to set this place up like a real office, complete with files, exam room and a place for people to recover."

As I looked around, it did look just like my doctor's office, sans the flowered pictures, it had lots of filing cabinets behind one long desk to sit behind, take notes, all the administrative stuff. The bathroom at the front was very large – freakishly large in my mind. I mean, just how many people need to be in a bathtub anyway? The tub looked like it could easily be in a hotel and seat I dunno 12 or 15 regular sized people, so probably what 4 or 5 Rangemen? Just past the bathroom where a bedroom might have been was an exam room, complete with exam bed and one of those funky lights to read x-rays with. Across the hall was a bedroom that had two hospital style beds in it, a stereo and a TV hanging on the wall.

"Bobby, what's behind the closed door? And are you running a hospital or something from this place?" I asked, obviously I wasn't paying close attention when he said he set up the place to meet his needs and those of Rangeman.

"The closed door is my own space, I don't spend a lot of time there. And as to the hospital question, yeah, sort of. I can treat a lot of the low level wounds and injuries here. You know, a few broken bones, some of the knife wounds and flesh wounds from gun shots? Stuff like that, no big deal."

'What?' I thought to myself. "You treat gunshot wounds?" I asked out loud this time, feeling all the color drain from my face. Suddenly no amount of caffeine was going to make me more alert than I was at that moment.

"Sure, why not? A wound is pretty much a wound. I mean the gunshot ones tend to be a little more drastic, but sometimes they aren't so bad. But any gunshot wound that goes to a hospital winds up getting reported to the authorities. There have been a few instances when that just wouldn't have been a good thing. You OK, Steph?" he asked me.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" I asked as the panic was raising in my voice.

"Steph, relax. I'm not going to make you do lots of the blood and guts stuff, promise. You might have to help clean some minor wounds, but after you've done a first aid course. Will you be OK with that?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not? You know I could really use that coffee about now," I was beginning to feel like a recording. If I answered everything Bobby asked me this way, there was no telling what I was going to get myself into. 'Distract him from the gory nasty stuff, get to pleasant topics like how you like your coffee, come on now,' I thought to myself.

"Speaking of the first aid class, I am teaching it at the YMCA soon right after I teach the Babysitter's training class."

"Excuse me? Babysitting training? What is that about? You just make sure that the kid is reliable, knows where the phone is for emergencies and can make snacks, right?"

"How long has it been since you were a babysitter?" he asked, eyes raised to the heavens.

"Actually never did it by myself. Did it once with Valerie. It was boring and the kids were whiny. I went home early. I think it is one of the reasons I decided not to have kids. Is that a problem?" I asked in complete innocence.

"Not exactly a problem, but it does explain a lot of things. Actually kids who are serious about doing the whole babysitting thing can get certified by the American Red Cross. Usually we aim the class at kids between 11 and 15. I guess that we can count you as two enrollees because of your _advanced_ age."

Great, Bobby was a stand up comedian with an audience of one. So not funny bright boy, so not funny.

Bobby completely ignored me rolling my eyes and making a face at him. He continued, "Anyway, Bomber the kids get information and the skills necessary to provide safe and responsible care for younger kids in when their parents aren't home. If the kids don't do any babysitting, it usually makes them more responsible to help around the house with younger siblings, or it reduces the anxiety parents have with latch key kids."

"Good thing my mother never knew about this. She never would have let Valerie watch me the day that I decided to fly off the garage roof," I said to myself. I think Bobby heard me, but I really couldn't be too sure about it.

"Today is a light day for us, just really easy stuff. We're going to go through all of the first aid kits in each of the vehicles and make sure they are up to snuff," he said.

At least it was looking like the grand tour of the _apartment_ ended here with the office, thank heavens. While Bobby's coffee was good, it was never going to hold a candle to Tank's tea.

In an effort to do "the easy" stuff, we headed out to the garage to retrieve a couple of the first aid kits. Of the twelve vehicles in the Rangeman fleet, only four were in the garage. We took first aid kits out of two and left two for later.

Seems that Bobby has spreadsheets with each of the vehicles listed, the stuff in the first aid kits, drug expiration dates, and the last time he checked the kit to make sure it was current. Who knew Bobby was the King of Organization? Probably he has a crown for it somewhere.

At first glance the oversized backpacks from the SUVs looked pretty normal. OK normal for Rangeman. Turns out that each of the backpacks contained first aid kits that had almost enough stuff in them to do surgery in the field! Turns out that each of the backpacks contained the first aid kits had almost enough stuff in them to do surgery in the field! Inside each big red bag there were smaller 'kits', one of them was labeled for sutures, another was for snakebites, what the? The biggest 'kit' had an entire drug store in it: rubber gloves, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, burn gel, ACE bandages, scissors, and enough gauze to do up a mummy for Halloween. Jeez. I knew from experience that there were suitcase looking things in each of the SUVs as well that contained candles, flashlights, can openers, lighters, candles, towels, saline and thermal blankets.

Was Bobby expecting war or unseasonable weather?

"Bobby, what gives with all of the extra stuff? I mean, I get the bandages, gauze and stuff but why do you carry all the extra stuff. It's not winter?"

Bobby's face lit up like a kid's at Christmas. "I was hoping you would notice and wonder enough to ask. I was a Boy Scout as a kid."

OK.

"I was an Eagle Scout when I was a kid. It is one of the things I am proudest of having accomplished. Now I have a troop of my own. Anyway their motto is 'Always be prepared'. So I am."

"That's great, Bobby. Why would you want your own troop? Are you practicing to do the whole 'dad' thing?"

"Some day when I am married I will do the fatherhood thing right, have no doubt. Scouting gave me a lot as a kid, it gave me something to do and a way to set and achieve goals. It helped prepare me for what I do now. Besides, I want to 'pay it forward' you know, offer some kid options he may not have at home right now."

"Pretty cool stuff there Mr. Brown. They all do call you that, Mr. Brown?"

"Yeah and it is the hardest part of the whole troop leader thing, I keep looking around for my dad even though I've been a troop leader since I got out of the Army five years ago."

"Wow. That's a lot of commitment. How old are your boys? I mean, I assume they are all boys, it is the Boy Scouts, right?"

"Yep, just boys. The current troop the kids are about eleven years old. We are working on some basic merit badges. That's what I was alluding to before, about what you would enjoy. Remember how I said 'all my girlfriends have liked it' and you kind of tripped out?"

I just looked down and nodded my head.

"I didn't mean to imply you would be my girlfriend, even for the month," he said sheepishly, "but in the past the others have all helped me with the troop stuff. You know making sure we have snacks. Getting rides for kids who might need them. Helping out on the camping trips. Stuff like that, good clean wholesome stuff Steph, not a big deal."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding and started to smile. I had never had problems with boys at that age, even when I was that age. Besides, I got to be 'Adult Supervision' for once in my life instead of looking for 'Adult Supervision'. This could be cool, I could make sure there would be good snacks, I could carpool if necessary. Wait a minute here, what's this about camping?

"Bobby, I don't think I heard you right. What's this about _camping_? You know I don't camp. Motel 6 is camping, usually no pools, no room service and towels that are too small. That is my idea of camping. I have a horrible feeling your idea of camping is going to make Motel 6 look like paradise. Please tell me I am wrong."

The smile got wider and wider. Crap. He was looking like a beauty contest winner with that smile of his; he was a dentist's dream. This was not looking good for me, not in the least. What was I going to do about blowing my hair dry, what was I going to do about shaving my legs, what was I going to do about the bathroom in the middle of the night?

Evidently I had been thinking out loud again because Bobby started to talk. "Steph, it's all going to be OK. You don't have to worry about how you will blow your hair dry, there will be no power," he said. I must have made a small strangled sound before he continued, "about the shaving of the legs, not a big deal. There won't be any running water except for the toilets."

I know I made more than just a small strangled sound then. I could probably be heard outside the door with that one.

"Bathroom in the middle of the night, not a problem. Well maybe a problem for you. Ranger is going to set us up at an old KOA that doesn't get much use this time of year and they will have a latrine area you can use. You're just lucky, most of the time we dig our own latrines and put something over them, or find an appropriate bush."

"Why would Ranger make arrangements for 'us' at a KOA place? How is he involved?" I asked.

"This troop is made up of kids whose parents don't have a lot of extra income, Ranger steps in and covers the cost of camp, uniforms, supplies, food and other stuff that comes up. He was part of the cub scouts, when he was really young. But he thought it was important and it is a way he can give back to the community."

Again with Ranger giving back to the community. Civic minded Ranger, who knew?

"Anyway, he knows that we do a spring camp thing and that it would happen just after your month with me. He knows I need the extra help with supervising kids of this age, so you'll be with me the first weekend in May. He didn't want you to suffer too much, so we are going some place where you will have access to a latrine I mean bathroom. He is making sure the showers won't work, he wants you to mostly rough it like you would on a 'real' camping trip."

I decided on a blatant change of subject. I needed to stop thinking about camping. I was going to need to make a quick escape to Denial Land and my post as the Czarina there and as long as we were talking about camping I'd never get my passport stamped.

"Hey, Bobby," I asked, "don't we need to get back to work on these things?" I asked as I indicated the first aid packs on the table.

"You're right we do," he said.

Bobby began to explain what was in each kit and check off stuff from the spreadsheet. If he found something was missing he'd highlight it for later. The guys were supposed to tell him if and when they used something so it could be restocked right away but mostly that didn't happen. If something was expired, he'd take it out of the package and it would be replaced with a new whatever it was from the storeroom.

It wasn't complicated work, but it was pretty repetitive. After I got a hang of what we were doing, we did the idle small talk thing. Getting through twelve of these every month had to be a royal pain. I was developing a new respect for Bobby, if only in his organizational abilities.

Maybe that was what this was all about, developing respect, right? Probably not. Probably this was about my ability to hang with a bunch of eleven year old boys. Great.

After we did the four first aid kits that belonged to the vehicles in the garage, Bobby and I headed for lunch. Turned out Bobby doesn't embrace the whole 'my body is a temple' thing any more than I do. Yay for me! There was a hole in the wall burger place; complete with wood paneling that looked to be from the early 70s. Burgers came in two sizes large and larger, smothered in everything, the chili was optional. An order of small cheese fries came on its own plate and could easily have served three individuals, or one Rangeman.

Bobby and I each had one of the large burgers, he finished his and I took half of mine to go. We managed between the two of us to eat all the fries, but somehow the extra lettuce that came with the burgers wasn't touched and was left on the plate, sad lonely lettuce.

After lunch two new vehicles were in the garage and two that had their kits updated were gone, so it was a decent system. We only got seven of the twelve kits updated the first day, looked like we had a project for the next one.

"Steph, do you mind staying late tomorrow night?"

"Not a problem, what's up, Bobby?" I asked.

"Tomorrow is the regular troop meeting and we've got a bunch of stuff to go over with the boys. There is nothing you need to do to prepare for the meeting, you just get to hang out and meet the boys. It is a small troop and the meeting is usually just a couple of hours."

According Ranger I was going to have to continue to honor my deal with Hector, I was going to have to spend some quality time on the range nearly every day. I made a point of letting Bobby know, so it wouldn't interfere too much with his plans. He said it would be something we would work around, and he wouldn't make me go every day! I always did feel badly about putting holes in those poor paper men.

The next morning, I stopped by my desk again to check for e-mails and to let Ranger know where I'd be the rest of the day.

"Babe, are you prepared for this meeting?"

I knew Ranger meant the Boy Scout thing, since I wasn't scheduled for any client meetings until June. "Nope. Bobby said I didn't need to do anything, just show up. That's what I'm gonna do, show up."

"Babe, there is more to Scouting than showing up. There are all kinds of rules and regulations not to mention the uniforms. Bobby will be in one that looks pretty much like the kids. You can't poke fun at any of them. This is serious to all the guys in the troop and to Bobby. You have to be on your best behavior, I know you will do that for me."

"I promise, Ranger, best behavior," I said with a smile.

"Let me know if you need anything, Babe. I've got to get ready for a presentation I'm making in a couple of days."

"No worries, Ranger, Bobby's got it all under control."

Ranger began to walk to his office when I heard him mumble under his breath, "I highly doubt he's got you under control."

I refused to either acknowledge or resemble that remark and went back to Bobby's to do more first aid kits.

Turns out that Bobby liked greasy spoons and so that's the kind of a place we found for lunch! This place was small with old décor and in dire need of a paint job. The house special was chili.

Now I've never met a bowl of chili I didn't like, but I was a little afraid of how my body would respond several hours later with a bunch of little boys. Sadly for me I opted for a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup that actually tasted a great deal like chili. Bobby had been here lots of times and took the calculated risk, he had the chili. God I hoped I wasn't going to be down wind of him all night.

After lunch Bobby had some phone calls to make so Tank supervised my hour on the range. He didn't play any games with the gun or the ammo, but he gave me a test. He put brightly colored dots on the target and had me aim specifically at one of those. I wasn't hitting any of the little dots, I was no where near close. Tank said I was flinching on my pull so the bullet didn't go where I was aiming it.

Great, another bad habit for Stephanie Plum. I was a certified flincher. Probably someone who kept track of these things knew that I didn't make my bed that day and I hated to clean the bathtub.

Tank came up to me and pulled a penny from his pocket.

"Steph, have you ever heard of dry firing?"

"Not as I can say, why?"

"Dry firing is pulling the trigger on a weapon when there is no ammunition in it. Not all firearms are designed to be dry fired, but yours is. Because you can dry fire your gun, I'm going to show you a trick to stop your flinching."

He took my weapon from me, aimed it down the firing lane and put the penny on the barrel. He pulled the trigger. The penny didn't fall off the barrel.

"Steph, that's how it is done. When you can dry fire without flinching your bullets will go where you are aiming. Follow through is just as important as what you initially see through the sites. If you can keep your pull smooth and consistent all the way back you will hit what you aim for."

I tried it a couple of times and the penny flew to the floor. Maybe I should have put some double sided sticky tape on the bottom of the penny. This _exercise_ got pretty boring pretty fast, not to mention annoying. I couldn't see how this was going to help my aim in any way, shape or form.

Tank moved my target to 21 feet, probably the longest I would have to shoot inside of a building. He then reloaded ammo into the cylinder of the .38 and proceeded to put 5 holes into the paper. The design looked almost like a daisy, all the holes touched.

"Steph, for your regular training routine, I think you should do this 50 times a night as a good place for you to start."

"Fifty a night? That's gonna take forever."

"No it won't. Besides, the more you do it, the easier it will get and the faster it will become. Oh and keep the penny."

Great. Another comedian _and_ homework. Lovely. At least I wasn't going to destroy any more innocent paper men in an attempt to get rid of my flinch.

I found my way back to Bobby's apartment to do more of the same on the first aid kits. Once we got back into our rhythm, the idle chit chat began again.

"So what are we going to do at the meeting tonight?" I asked in all sincerity.

"The business at hand is what we are going to be doing on the camping trip. What each of the kids need, permission slips, what to expect, that kind of a thing."

Bobby and I had a light dinner provided by Ella before the meeting in Bobby's apartment. The meeting was held in a community room of a city park down the street from the office. It was well worn but clean and well lit. The boys made it in one at a time until it was 7:00. I was more than a little surprised to see that Hector show up to the meeting. Evidently in Scouting everything is done in teams and Hector was Bobby's back up.

The kids had to wear uniforms in order to be part of the festivities. I was still trying to get my head around the fact that Bobby had on a Boy Scout Leader's Uniform Shirt on and so did Hector. Bobby's had all kinds of patches and medals, Hector's was a lot more plain. Both the guys had on jeans. In fact, all the kids were dressed like Bobby and Hector with the addition of a scarf thingie and baseball cap, but no regulation pants. They were all in jeans.

Bobby called the meeting to order and did the typical stuff to get it all going. Then he started with the purpose of the meeting.

"Guys, every spring I take my troop on a short camping weekend," he said. The crowd was just loving this, because they went nuts. He continued, "Our weekend is the first one of next month. We need to go over all the stuff you'll need to bring and what you should be prepared for."

He had Hector hand out small packets of information and pencils to each of the boys, oh and one to me, too. I took a quick look at the list and started to understand why there was all the cold weather stuff in the back of each of the SUVs. These guys took being prepared to a whole new level. I was feeling queasy about the sleeping bag and tent thing, but was still breathing normally. I must have spaced out until I heard Bobby talk about working on their cooking merit badges while we were gone.

Food? Cooking? Who said camping had anything to do with cooking? I mean camping was getting back to nature, seeing the trees, the birds and the deer, right? Besides, I had sort of figured that there would be a food run to McDonalds a couple of times a day, or that Ella would be providing a big spread so that everyone could keep up their strength.

Why couldn't I have gone home during that poker game before Ranger got so damned serious? It didn't matter anymore because I was here now and my mother's tippling was under control and she hadn't taken down any of Valerie's curtains to iron so I was probably still doing OK in somebody's eyes.

I completely missed whether or not anything else was covered in the meeting because all I could see was some kind of a disaster for me. We waited around until all of the boys had been picked up by their parents or carpool.

I found out later that, for the next two meetings, the boys would be going to go to the YMCA to do Bobby's babysitting certification. I don't know if it counted for the merit badge, but it was going to guarantee Bobby an audience who would pay attention to him, unlike yours truly.

Evidently the Red Cross was sort of like the Scouts, more rules, regulations and certifications. Jeez, everybody took this stuff so seriously! What do I know, I own a hamster that I forget to feed at least twice a week. Maybe this serious thing was something I needed to look into.

The next day, Bobby handed me a spare Boy Scout Manual. The thing was thick. "Steph, you need to read this before we go camping."

"What do you mean, _we_ go camping? Your trip is in May, you and I are partnered up for April. I'm sure you can get enough other people to volunteer. Besides, Ranger has probably already made big plans for me for the month of May," I said sounding sure that I had found a loophole to this whole 'back to nature' thing. I had forgotten that Bobby had already told me that I had been volunteered for this service. Crap.

"I said _we_ and I meant _we_. Ranger knows we need extra supervision for this trip, and he is letting me use you for the first weekend in May to provide it. Deal with reality Steph, you are going to expand your horizons."

I must have been channeling my inner Lawrence Welk, because all I could say was, "Wonderful. Wonderful."

"Do you have someplace quiet I can read this thing?"

"Sure, let's go to the bedroom. I've got some appointments this afternoon with the guys and you'll be out of the way."

I had only been in Ranger's bedroom here, this just wasn't feeling right. It really didn't feel right when I found out that there were no chairs in the bedroom. Just a bed with track lighting. Shit.

Bobby turned on the lights and then immediately hopped up on the bed and indicated that I needed to get up on the other side. 'In through the nose and out through the mouth,' I said to myself. 'This is just Bobby and nothing will happen. I will be just fine. I will not hyperventilate. I will remain calm. I will be peaceful."

Bobby smiled and said, "It's now story time, Steph." Then he proceeded to read to me the first couple of pages of the manual, the history of the group blah blah.

I really did try to stay awake, honest. I found myself with my head on a strange pillow covered by an afghan two hours later. The bed had been incredibly comfy and it just kind of called to me. What woke me up was the sound of voices from the other room.

"She slept with you, too? Are you ready to meet Ranger in the gym?" came Lester's voice.

"What? When you told me she'd slept with you and Tank you never said anything about meeting Ranger in the gym afterwards," Bobby said with a twinge of panic.

Lester said, "Man, that's because I have _serious skills_. Besides, I made a promise in front of Tank and Ranger they could both knock me into next week if I laid a hand on her and treated her like a _date_. So I figured I could try a move on her after this whole thing was over and Ranger figures out he doesn't really have a chance."

"Shit. It's a good thing I didn't try to get her under any of the blankets. Wonder what I'll have to promise to avoid becoming the punching bag."

"Don't know man, but you should probably wake her up way before quitting time and make sure your bed doesn't look like its recently been slept on. Ranger kept doing spot inspections of my bedroom the whole month, even when he knew that I'd had a date."

'This could be good. If Bobby gets out of control, I can use this against him later. Wait, I can't do that, I'll get shipped to my own third world country without any kind of a compass or a map,' I thought to myself. I decided it was best to pretend I hadn't heard anything, so I started to make some noise to let Bobby know I was up. I was far less than pleased with Lester, but for the moment I didn't want him to know I was aware of what he thought of me.

"Learn anything interesting, Steph?" he asked.

"Sure, now I know what to read when counting sheep doesn't make me tired," I said. "No really, it explains to me what you all must have gone through at various points in the military, this is just the kiddie version."

"Pretty much. Anyway, that copy is for you to keep and you will want to read more from it before we go on the trip," he said. Then we started on his next project.

Crap. He was serious about me going on that camping trip.

_A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Bobby's been kind of shy and needs to be encouraged for the rest of the month, reviews encourage him!_

_Thanks to Bluzkat for the title Czarina!_


	9. Chapter 9

**The Standard Disclaimers all apply.**

**No harm has come to any of the Merry Men in the creation of this story; Steph, on the other hand, has had some issues. **

**Thanks to Jaime for all of her hard work editing and brainstorming. This couldn't have been written without you! Besos!!**

_Crap. He was serious about me going on that camping trip._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 9 Bobby Part 2 of 2**

The next several days, Bobby and I went over really basic and not overly gross first aid stuff that would be presented at the Babysitting thing. Since it looked like I was going to go as teacher's assistant so I should have a basic idea of what was going on.

In theory and practice did OK with compression stuff and finding things in the first aid kits, I didn't want to find out about real life. I cleaned up a couple of really minor wounds, I even remembered to use the rubber gloves. I was not so hot on splints and I was all thumbs with the ACE bandages. This was why Bobby gave me extra time before the class started, so I would have a clue what was going on and so I didn't embarrass him in front of 'his kids'.

Bobby wound up having a lot of stuff to do that I couldn't help him with, so I spent more time in my cube than I had in a couple of months, not such a bad thing.

Hector had approached Ranger about continuing his English with me during the week. Ranger considered it a business asset for Hector to speak better English, so that was accommodated as well.

In addition, Ranger scheduled a specific time for me to go to the range every day and my 'coach du jour' changed depending on who had time. When it was Tank, he kept pulling out the damned penny for his drill. I did it a couple of nights on my own, but he knew I wasn't feeling the love for the penny thing.

After I did the requisite 50 trigger pulls in front of Tank, he would take a fresh target out and put one of those stickers on it. He put the target close enough I could clearly see the yellow dot. He would put the penny back on the end of the barrel and told me to pretend it was just like what I had done before. I didn't ever seem to hit the dot but I was a lot closer. I had no idea what happened to all those pennies, but that was OK with Tank.

Tank just beamed at me, so proud of the student who was willing to put up with his ideas. Ultimately it meant more coaching time with Tank than any of the other guys. Oh well, it was for my higher good after all. We did the whole teacher student thing well together in the past, this was just a different subject.

A couple more sessions with Bobby on first aid and before I knew it, we had the next meeting at the Y.

That Wednesday night, Bobby, Hector and the boys still wore their uniforms but the class wasn't limited to just the scouts. There were plenty of girls about the same age as the scouts, but no uniforms. Bobby led the session and Hector and I did the assistant thing. The first night was feeding, washing and diapering the baby doll. Hector and Bobby were pros; guess they'd had a lot of practice. Me? I was just glad I never dropped the doll in front of the kids.

When the meeting was over, I helped with the clean up and noticed all of the women who came up to Bobby and Hector thanking them for their time and the information for their kids. Seemed like an easy way for Bobby to meet single women with kids and there were lots of them. He was looking like he had been put in a candy store with freedom to sample as much candy as he wanted. I saw him give his number to at least three different moms. Maybe he wasn't 'paying it forward' as he was using scouting to meet women. Something to think about.

Hector didn't look like he want to be approached by any of the lingerers, so he kept pulling me in close, playing with the belt loops on my pants or putting his arm around me doing the territory thing again. His body language made it look like we were _together_ even though we weren't; we couldn't be. He was using me to avoid talking to other people but this whole thing was just getting weird. Evidently it got Hector what he wanted. None of the women directly approached Hector and the couple of men who had been making eyes at me were quickly dissuaded from the thought.

The evening got kind of late with Bobby and the groupies, so Hector took me back to the office. I decided to crash on four, it had been a long day.

Another week, more time getting first aid and child safety stuff from Bobby and more time on the range. Lunch with Bobby was the amazing. He knew all the best dumpy diners in the Trenton area and he liked to frequent them. It was good for me, but potentially bad for my waistline. I snuck into the Rangeman gym a couple of times after particularly succulent and highly caloric lunches, I tried to do it when I thought Ranger was out of the office, didn't want him to think this would become a habit.

The next troop meeting was still at the Y and we did pretty much like before, but the kids didn't work with the dolls. It was a lot about being aware of their surroundings, making sure they knew where their charges were and having phone numbers in case of emergency. Guess it would have been a good program for me to have taken as a pre-teen, I might have spent more of my adult life aware of my surroundings. Then again, maybe not.

Ranger showed up after the meeting had ended; he noticed Bobby with his groupies and Hector hanging all over me. If I hadn't known better I'd have thought Ranger had been bitten by the green eyed monster. This was just Hector and Hector wasn't interested in me so much as his own privacy.

The two men had a short and heated exchange in Spanish. All I could get out of it was "ella" (she/her) and "mia" (mine) coming from both of the men. What was up with that? This wasn't looking good and I didn't have a lot of patience for the games or macho posturing.

"Ranger, Canelo, is there something I can help you boys with?" I asked sweetly.

"No problems here, Babe. We were just discussing how tonight went. I wanted to know if you wanted to have a night cap now that the meeting is over. He," Ranger said, indicating Hector, "thinks he's taking you home and you might have plans with him."

"I hadn't really thought about it. I mean I hitched a ride with Bobby and Canelo met us here. I hadn't really thought about who my ride was going to be. Therefore, I didn't know I'd need any plans other than my previously scheduled, quality alone time. I know neither of you would like to interrupt my lofty plans now would you?" I asked.

This was getting confusing, Ranger had been playing the 'just be friends' card for quite some time. We did the odd dinner together, but there hadn't been a lot more than that going on for a while. Hector was gay but he was getting all territorial and possessive on me for no apparent reason.

"If you two can't play nice I'm going to cramp Bobby's style and have him take me home then I can spend the rest of my evening with my four favorite men," I said.

"Babe, who are these four men?" Ranger said, again with the serious and jealous tone in his voice.

"Neither of you have probably ever met them. I have had an intimate relationship with these four men my whole life," I said drawing this out of effect. Sometimes I really did enjoy baiting Ranger and Hector was turning out to be just as much fun to bait.

Both Ranger and Hector gave me looks that could have frozen a lesser woman in her tracks. What the hell? They asked for it. They deserved it.

"Since you both think you _need _to know, they are, in order of importance: Ben & Jerry, Mr. Bubbles and Vidal Sassoon. It is Wednesday and it is my traditional beauty night. Since I don't recall issuing invitations, neither of you were or are invited to beauty night," I said sweetly.

"What happens on beauty night?" Hector asked. It seemed this was a new concept to him.

"First you start with a long, hot bubble bath. While you're in the bath you do the whole multi-tasking thing. You wash and condition your hair, then shave whatever needs doing with a new razor, and, of course, the all important face mask. After the bath, then it is time for the manicure/pedicure. You end the evening with a small bowl of your favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Stuff has a way of coming up at the end of the week, so I designated Wednesday as beauty night."

Hector asked Ranger a question. Ranger answered it doing something with his hands, but looked like he had been sucking on a sour lemon after he got done giving his answer.

"I wouldn't mind a manicure or a pedicure," Hector said.

"We might be able to do that some time. Let me know and we can set it up," I said to him.

"Babe."

"What Ranger, you can come too. It's not so much a 'girlie thing' as it used to be, the metrosexuals all do it. You too macho to get your nails buffed, Batman?"

"Babe."

Both men looked at me and each other like they didn't know what to say next, so I stepped into the unknown and looked at the other man in our midst said simply, "Bobby, can you give me a lift back to the office? I've got some stuff to do tonight."

"Sure thing Steph," he said as he gave his number to the last of the groupies.

Bobby and I left Hector and Ranger in mid-macho posture. I kissed Hector on the cheek when I said "good night" and he looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Then I kissed Ranger on the cheek, his expression said, "about damned time" and it appeared that he was somewhat relieved that he wasn't slighted. I turned on my heel and took Bobby's arm and headed for the SUV.

It was a quiet ride back to the office with Bobby. I was confused about what was going on with the two men. Bobby had been oblivious to the situation between Ranger and Hector and was basking in the glow of getting another six phone numbers.

"Bobby, you know how everyone thinks that Lester is a player?"

"Yeah. He collects women like some kids collect postage stamps. What of it?" he asked.

"From what I've seen at the Red Cross meetings, looks like you, guy, are the pot calling the kettle black. I mean, I've observed Lester in a club picking up women and he hasn't gotten half of the phone numbers I've just seen you get these last two weeks," I said.

"Steph, these women are just grateful that I'm doing a service to the community. Sometimes they want me to do stuff for their civic or church groups. But hey, if I meet someone nice, I'm not gonna look the gift horse in the mouth, ya know?"

I thought about it and just smiled, 'Player' I thought to myself.

As we pulled into the parking garage he said, "Besides, don't hate the player. Hate the game."

Jeez. Men.

It has been a stressful evening and I was looking forward to a well deserved soak. It had been a long work day, followed by a long meeting and a lot of confusion with Hector and Ranger; not to mention the fact that my legs were so hairy that the feel of them was making me nuts.

The next day, after the usual searches. I met with Bobby to go over what I would need to know for the Boy Scout meeting that was coming up.

"Are you serious about this packing list, Bobby? It's huge! How many bags do I get to take with me anyway?"

"One duffle and one backpack, that's it and it's actually more than the guys get to take, they get buddied up and each is responsible for only some of the items."

Huh?

"Lots of stuff in scouting is about working as a team. The teams consist of two people. There isn't always a need for everybody to bring everything. Our troop is a little different because Ranger provides everything up front that the kids need. Their equipment is actually checked out to them at the beginning of the year and they are supposed to treat it like it is their own. It cuts down on how much stuff Rangeman has to store and it makes the kids accountable for the equipment.

"When we get to camp, the guys will be divided into their teams and then chores are assigned to the teams. You, Hector, the volunteer dads and I will be 'adult supervision' but will have to help out with the tasks. After camp is set up, we will help the kids work on their merit badges, again breaking into groups to do it."

"How many volunteer dads are there going to be, and are any of them single?" I asked with a giggle. Hey, a girl's got to keep her options open.

"Three volunteer dads and I think they are all married, sorry Steph," he said.

"That's OK, I guess I won't have to worry about anyone hitting on me while we are in the wilds of New Jersey or Pennsylvania or wherever we're going."

"Actually, who said you don't have to worry about that? I might hit on you. I am single and not a dad," Bobby said with a smile.

"I don't think I'm your type Bobby. Ultimately I am not 'wilderness girl' or 'roughing-it-girl', you know. If this weekend is your idea of fun I can do it once, maybe twice, but not on a regular basis and definitely not for more than a couple of days," I said.

"I don't know. You might just fall in love with being under the stars. You might have the wits scared out of you and need for me to protect you in the middle of the night from the hooting owls," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Noises in the dark, it takes more than noises in the dark to scare me," I said.

"Steph, you know what the noises are like in your neighborhood. You know the sounds of traffic, people talking on the streets, sirens. You don't know the sounds of the wind in the trees, bird calls, or animals walking through the brush. If you don't know those sounds, they can be unnerving especially since you won't have more than a flashlight to use to identify the sounds."

Fudge. He was right. Probably I wasn't going to sleep a wink. Probably I was going to wind up in a tent of eleven year old boys who are just as unnerved as I was going to be. Probably I was going to wind up in Bobby's tent in a panic in the middle of the night and he'd tell the whole office. Probably I should buy my mother a case of spray starch to use when she starts the ironing as a result of this trip.

"What am I going to sleep in? On. I mean 'on'. On. What am I going to sleep on at this camping thing anyway?" I asked feeling more than a little flustered.

"Well, we have extra foam pads that go under the sleeping bags to be act like insulation from the cold. You'll get the standard issue sleeping bag and the pillow is up to you to bring."

"Will I have a tent of my own? I mean, are you sure there won't be any mom's on this thing?" I asked, hoping I wasn't going to be the sole source of estrogen on this trip. "I figure that you have like two to a tent and the adults go in with the kids."

"In some of the tents it's just kids and as the kids get older, the adults don't stay in the tents with them. But you can always bunk in with me, Steph," Bobby said with a huge smile, "and we can zip our sleeping bags together for warmth. I'm not afraid of the dark or things that go bump in the night. Besides you had no problem sleeping on my bed when you were looking at the manual."

I'd kind of forgotten about that. Bobby was a walking hormone, and it seemed like he was trying to give Lester a run for his money.

"Bobby, you know nothing happened with Lester, Tank and me. I didn't say anything to Ranger about falling asleep on top of your bed and I wasn't planning on it. So far no one has gotten sent to a third world country, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Yeah, glad you haven't said anything to Ranger about that. You know when he found out that you slept with Lester and Tank, Ranger was in a mood for several days. He believed you and he trusts you, but he was tough for the rest of us to be around."

He'd just been himself around me, so this was news. Great. Just great.

"Well, getting back to the subject of tents. Put me in with the kid who has the most experience camping and who isn't afraid of the dark, I guess, unless one of the dads turns out to be in the closet."

The next meeting of the Boy Scouts was in their regular location. The baby sitting instruction was over, this meeting stuff was starting to feel routine. The pledge, the oath, a song and then down to business. Bobby collected permission slips from the kids who remembered to bring them and reminded them that if they didn't have a signed slip before that Saturday, they'd be left behind.

The guys talked about the merit badges they were going to be working on, cooking and fire mastery and archery. Great, all of it was stuff I had no experience with. Bobby, Hector and I hung around until all the kids were picked up and headed back to the office together; we had actually come in one vehicle so it just made sense.

Hector took me aside before we left and asked if I was still going to do my beauty night tradition tonight. I told him that I was and asked why. He wanted to know if I would seriously do a manicure for him tonight.

"Sure Canelo, why don't you plan to come to my apartment on four at about 9:00 and we'll do it then," I told him.

I did the bath, shampoo/condition, face mask and shaving routine and got out of the tub slightly before 9:00. I had just put on my jammies, fuzzy blue robe and slippers when Hector knocked on the door.

Hector was smiling like a 16 year old on a date. He'd evidently showered, shaved and changed into some new jeans that actually looked like they fit his body and a crisp white shirt. He smelled yummy.

After the whole hug and kiss thing at the door, I escorted him to the kitchen table. I had already set it up with the towels, soaking liquid, the files, clippers and the buffing blocks. It all looked very professional.

"Canelo, you look great and I feel under dressed. Do you mind if I stay in my pjs? After we are done, I'm going to go to bed."

His voice was a little strangled as he said, "Sure, no problem."

I had some quiet music playing on the stereo, a nondescript classical something, and had him stick both of his hands in the soaking liquid to soften up his nails to make them easier to trim.

I was just getting ready to start to work on his first hand when there was another knock on the door. I excused myself and answered it. Odd, I wasn't expecting anyone. I never get visitors when I stay here because everyone knows my door gets heavily monitored.

Crap.

It was Ranger.

Ranger also looked all cleaned up and had only one place to go. Mine. He was at my door looking darkly dangerous with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

I answered the door to him and he immediately invaded my body space and kissed me deeply. "I like the outfit, Babe. Did you choose it just for me?" he asked with a wolfish smile.

"Ranger. I wasn't expecting you tonight."

"Problem with that Babe?" he asked as he was walking me backwards into my apartment.

"Well actually, yeah. I am doing a manicure on Canelo tonight. I looked at his cuticles and boy are they ever rough," I said. I was afraid I was going to start babbling at any minute. I was feeling uncomfortable and it was getting worse. Then noticed the reason for the increased discomfort, Hector stood up behind me and had just placed his arms around my waist.

Wednesday night was no longer the relaxing beauty night I had once designated it, nope. Wednesday had become _bullshit, macho, male posturing night_. I had evidently been elected referee of said posturing night. Swell.

"Ranger, you are most welcome to stay if you'd like me to work on your nails. I'll massage your hands and arms, part of the service," I said trying to smile.

God, this was both awkward and embarrassing. Ranger was starting to make a move, finally and Hector was there to intercept the pass. Great. Just lovely. I wonder how big the packing crate was going to be to send Hector off to his own third world country.

"Babe, since it seems that you are occupied tonight, why don't we just do it another time. How are you for a week from Friday just to make sure you've got enough notice?" he asked.

"Sure that Friday'd be good. We have to make it an early night. Bobby is making everybody meet at the ungodly hour of 7:00 at the parking garage for the camping thing," I said crossing my fingers that I wasn't being mentally measured for my own packing crate.

"No problem, we'll make an early evening of it. Do you mind if I leave the glasses and wine here for now? It'll give me a reason to make sure to bring you back early, or an excuse to come by before next week is over," he said. His face looked relaxed but his voice was getting a little tight.

He handed me the wine and glasses and started to walk to the door. He said, "See me out, Babe."

I did and he kissed the daylights out of me in front of company. I didn't think Ranger was much for PDAs but this was a doozie.

Hector carefully asked me, "Are you dating Ranger?"

I looked at him and said, "Honestly, I don't think so. We have gone out a few times and kissed some, but he isn't looking for a relationship right now."

"Good," was all Hector had to say as he went back to the table and put his hands back in the bowl.

I made short work of the filing and clipping. The cuticles were awful, but trimmed up nicely. I wore out a buffing block on each hand; the man had been in dire need of having the ridges smoothed out. He just closed his eyes and breathed deeply when I massaged his hands and forearms. Despite how slender Hector was, he had quite a bit of tense muscle in those hands.

Due to the earlier interruption, it was about 10:30 when I kicked Hector out. Pretty early by my standards, but I knew Ranger would definitely have someone monitoring my door and I didn't want to make Ranger any crankier than normal. In fact, I told that to Hector and we did the "good bye" hug and kiss thing inside my door so as not to give a show for the cameras. But this wasn't the normal hug and kiss, he missed my cheek and placed the softest, most lush kiss on my lips and then held me for several long, comforting seconds. When finally he pulled away, all I could think was how I could get used to being held by this man. I did a mental eye-roll, ah … not on the market, at least not on my market.

The next day, I made a point of seeking out Ranger's help with my supplies and packing. I was a big girl and could do it on my own, but the way Ranger was behaving I thought it was in my best interest to seek him out. I had a list from Bobby, but felt that it was completely overblown. Ranger and I went to my "regular" apartment and started to go through my stuff.

"Babe, don't you have any rain gear? A good umbrella? A decent flashlight?" he asked.

"Nope. I sort of figure that I'm wash and wear, a little rain never hurt me. Besides I don't get all that wet and usually I keep extra clothes in the car. As to the flashlight, I threw the last one at Morelli in the fight to end all fights and I think it broke. Anyway, Morelli didn't give it back to me afterwards, he mumbled something about possession being nine-tenths of the law."

"Babe, I don't believe I am asking you this, but do you want to go shopping with me?" he asked in a pained voice.

"Shopping, sure. You really think Macy's is going to have what I need?"

"Babe, there are other places to shop than Macy's. And before you ask, I promise it isn't the gun store," he said with a smile. "I can't take you tonight, but we'll do it over the weekend, OK?"

Turns out there was a camping/outdoor sports store not too far from my apartment. Who knew? It was kind of like a Macy's for outdoor stuff. It had bunches of tents, backpacks, boat stuff, and shoes. God did they ever have shoes, they were ugly but they were shoes.

This particular shopping trip with Ranger wasn't so much fun. He was a man on a mission and that mission was "Stephanie Preparedness". He found me big, bulky rain gear, a huge umbrella, a Swiss Army knife doodad, a huge backpack (he told me the one Bobby could lend me wouldn't hold all my make up, smart ass) and finally a pair of shoes and four pairs of very thick socks. Well technically they were hiking boots but footwear is footwear and one of my favorite things.

When we went to the check out, I reached for my wallet. He stopped me and said, "Babe, can't let you pay for this stuff. This is part of scouting and has its own line item on the budget."

I just smiled, holding the shoebox, they were ugly but they were way comfy. We went back to my apartment and did an overview of what Ranger thought I was going to need, what Bobby and the group would provide and how I was going to get it all put into the backpack and my duffle bag.

There was no way, no way humanly possible that I was going to get all of _that_ into the backpack and the duffle. No way, no how, nuh-uh. As I stood staring at the pile of clothes, sweaters, plastic bags and 'survival' stuff on my bed I couldn't get my head around it. Ranger just looked and smiled that quiet saintly smile.

"I can make it all fit. I'm good at getting big things into tight spaces," he said.

"Ranger, are you and Bobby taking lessons from Lester? That come-on line just sounded cheesy," I laughed.

"It's not cheesy if it's true. If you let me, I'll prove it to you. I can take my time and prove it to you all night, over and over and over again," he said while he grabbed me around the waist. Before I could make some kind of comeback, any kind of response at all, even a noise, he had my body turned toward his and he molded us together. Then he kissed me. It was kind of like the one on New Year's Eve where I couldn't remember my name after it was all over.

When he released me, he said, "Babe, I know you aren't really wanting to camp and you're just fulfilling your bet from New Year's Eve. But if you really wanted to, I could get you out of Bobby's little adventure. You could camp with me this weekend. I can get you almost anything your heart desires. Plus you would have the extra benefit of me keeping you safe from the things that go bump in the night. I can even tell you what the strange sounds around you mean and where they're coming from. Think about it." He kissed me deeply again. When he left, I found myself doing my fish impression.

Jeez. What the hell was going on? I mean I know we hadn't seen much of each other for a couple of months, not unusual for Ranger, but normally when he came back it was the odd dinner here and the stolen kiss there. Usually Ranger wasn't so much into posturing and definitely into not doing the PDA thing. This last offer was way out from left field from the ground we'd been on lately.

The only guy who wasn't acting strange around me was Tank, but I think it had something to do with seeing Lula at least every two days. Thank God, I didn't think I was going to be able to take too much more push me, pull you bullshit.

Bobby and I spent the week doing the last minute prep stuff. I thought Bobby was getting ready for the Boy Scouts to be gone for a month with all the detailed lists and planning. Yeesh. I did less planning for my wedding and honeymoon years ago. Bobby was turning into the king of being over prepared, where did he stick that crown anyway?

_A/N: I got in touch with my inner Lester – sorry for the cheesy lines – he made me do it and he made Ranger repeat them!_

_Thanks for reading and reviewing………….Alf._


	10. Chapter 10

**Standard disclaimers all apply.**

**No Merry Men or Boy Scouts were harmed in the creation of this story. They will all be returned unharmed (mostly) at the end.**

**Jaime: I couldn't have done this without you and the wee-hours of the morning editing/brainstorming sessions. You rock!**

**Kate Manoso – thanks for your attention to my editorial lack of powers**

**Melody – thanks for finding the inconsistencies I have overlooked by being too close to them!!**

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 10 ****♣**** May The Trip Part 1**

As April became May, Ranger didn't want to disrupt the flow with Bobby and so we kept working on the camping thing. He said he was OK with his month starting a little late; May wouldn't start until the first Monday of the month.

Ok, camping it was going to be. Damn it.

Friday, Bobby and I spent the whole day getting ready for the trip. He dug out a sleeping bag and foam pad for me. He also got me a mess kit, some pots, and some utensils. Since we were going to take three Rangeman vehicles, we added everything but the kitchen sink. We added: six extra wool blankets from the army surplus place for each vehicle, a bunch of matches, fire starting stuff, a bunch of towels, candles, shovels, a couple of axes, more flashlights (complete with fresh batteries), a sewing kit, a bunch of canned food, and 25 gallons of water per vehicle.

It was early May, the weather had been nice and you'd think we were getting ready for a disaster of some sort. Hang on. I was going to go. Maybe Bobby was just being cautious. Probably he wouldn't take so much stuff if I wasn't going; anyway it didn't cost any more to take it and if it made him happy, it worked for me.

We even did a little preventative maintenance on the vehicles. All the rigs were fueled, there was air in the spare tires and the oil had recently been changed. I had a feeling Bobby would feel like a boob if we had to call AAA out in the sticks because of something I had forgotten to check.

That afternoon, I made sure I had what I needed in my bags: cute shorts, tank tops, one extra pair of old jeans, the ugly but sturdy shoes from Ranger, socks, one sports bra, a nice bra (just because), grannie panties (What? They're durable and comfy and no one was going to see them), one pair of sexy undies (just in case), the requisite lacy camisole, towel (well you never really know), soap, makeup, toothbrush and toothpaste, toilet paper, sunscreen a new romance novel and my nail file. Yep, no need to take all that extra rain stuff and possible cold weather stuff. It had been gorgeous outside for days. Why borrow trouble?

I took the bags to my apartment on four so I'd be ready to roll in the morning and wouldn't have to get up any earlier than necessary for the road trip.

Ranger and I did have the promised early evening by having dinner at a casual little Greek place. It was a small family run restaurant that had the most succulent gyros I think I had ever eaten. Ranger's food must not have been good because he kept stopping what he was doing to look up at me. His look was mostly pained and occasionally amused. If he couldn't get over a little moaning now and again, well that was just his problem. We skipped dessert, a first for me; I did get a rain check for the next time.

We went back to Ranger's apartment on seven instead of to mine on four. The place had dimmed lights and soft music playing even as he opened the door. On one of the coffee tables there was a bucket with ice and what appeared to be an expensive bottle of wine cooling in it and more of the wine glasses from the other night.

After he opened the wine and poured some for both of us, he asked if I really wanted to go camping tomorrow. In my heart of hearts, I knew the answer was 'no' but couldn't bring myself to say that.

"Ranger, you guys all wanted me to broaden my horizons right?" I asked. He nodded so I went on, "Well, I've never camped and don't do the wilderness thing much and if I don't go now I probably never will. I'm looking at this like cod liver oil, a necessary thing. I'm going to make new memories and experiences for my life. Besides, a bet was a bet and this is part of how Bobby is expanding my horizons."

"As long as you are really OK with it. Like I said before, I'd be more than willing to let you camp alone with me and no interruptions," he said.

"It's a lovely offer, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Evidently this girl's gotta camp. It's just one night and two days, right?"

Ranger and I cuddled up on the sofa and listened to some soft jazz and slowly sipped our wine. It was pleasant and pressure free. He was applying no direct pressure, but that wasn't to say that he was temptation free.

I was getting sleepy when I asked him, "So what are your plans for the weekend? Any castles to storm or damsels to rescue?"

"Planning a quiet weekend, no outside interruptions. Who knows, I might get back to nature myself, then we can compare notes next week."

There was a minor make-out session on the sofa before I looked at the clock. I knew Ranger wouldn't have minded if I stayed with him, but I didn't want anything interrupting my sleep. I eventually detangled myself and went down to four. Before I knew it, I was out like a light.

At 6:30 there was a loud pounding on my door. It was Bobby. When I opened the door, he got treated to scary hair, dog breath and a bad attitude.

"Mr. Brown, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" I snarled.

"Steph, I've got breakfast for you downstairs, it's time to get a move on. Do you have all of your gear ready?"

"No Bobby, I don't have _all_ of my gear ready, I am wearing some of my gear so it's not packed yet. Can you give me a couple of minutes of alone time before I go downstairs?"

"You've got 15 minutes then I am sending up reinforcements and they won't be nearly as nice as I am."

Wonderful.

I marched Bobby out of my entryway and closed the door. It took me a moment to realize that what I normally do in one hour, I had 15 minutes to achieve. I did what I could with what nature gave me. It was just a couple of guys from the office, some married dads, and a bunch of kids. There was really no one I should worry too much about impressing. Even if they were impressed when they first met me, there was no way they were going to be impressed at the end of this whole thing.

I staggered to the door at 6:45, still bleary eyed. I had just pulled my door open when Hal and Cal appeared in the doorway looking like they were going to break the thing down. You'd think they would have considered the possibility of using the pass key; nope, not these two. Too bad they weren't going to be going; they'd have made some great shade.

At any rate Hal and Cal were evidently told not to trust me to get downstairs on my own because each of them took one of my bags and 'walked with me', Criminy.

Bobby had been downstairs, ready and able to greet the kids when they were dropped off. The ones who hadn't already given their permission slips had them in hand and ready to go. The kids were all bouncing around, so was Bobby. It was hard to tell who was more excited, the boys or Bobby. In fact, since all the kids and Bobby were wearing the uniform shirts the only way to tell he wasn't a kid was strictly his size.

Bobby did live up to his promises of a good breakfast complete with coffee, doughnuts and smoothies. He also told me that it was going to be the last meal like that I was going to have this weekend. Evidently the smoothie wasn't optional, but at least it was sweet tasting.

I looked around and Hector hadn't shown up yet. He finally made it down the stairs at 7:05, looking a little worse for wear, but also in the designated uniform shirt looking bleary eyed and rumpled. He looked more 'eager beaver' than I did, but that didn't take much. I got my 'regular' kiss and an overly long hug when he saw me, then he made a beeline for the coffee.

"So Bobby. I've noticed something kind of strange," I started, "there are no dads hanging around. I thought we were going to have like three dads come with us."

"Not to worry, Steph, there will be three qualified adults with us at camp. They already know where it is and are going to meet us there."

Ok then.

Since there was no one else to wait for, we divvied up the kids and we started the caravan.

Evidently iPods were going to be verboten once they hit camp. I encouraged their use that way I didn't have to listen to their school conversations and I wasn't going to be peppered with a lot of questions and I could listen to classic Def Leppard.

Since I wasn't altogether sure where we were headed and hadn't bothered to look at a map, I pretty much brought up the rear of our little wagon train. Just when I thought my bladder was going to burst, too much coffee, I saw the sign that said 'KOA Campground'. I continued in my game of follow the leader and entered the camp grounds. Evidently not a lot of people had been here so far this spring because the road was full of potholes and weeds. The road was doing nothing for either my bladder or my mood. There was no turning back now and there were no filling stations where I could tee-tee in private.

Finally the first two vehicles came to a stop and I pulled in next to them. I scrambled out of the car as fast as I could and ran over to Bobby.

"Bobby, where is the ladies' room? Please. This is an emergency!!" I exclaimed.

"Bomber, didn't you go before we left home?" he asked with a smile.

"Not funny, Mr. Brown. I need to find someplace where I won't be getting poison oak or have some kind of an audience. Please, point me either to the facilities or in a safe direction," I said.

Bobby pointed to a building way off in the distance. Terrific, I was going to have to do the crotch hop for the next four or five minutes. I was actually glad there was no one 'datable' on this trip because this was not the first impression I wanted to make on a potential suitor.

Marvin, one of the smaller kids was assigned by Bobby to walk me to the building. It seemed that Marvin had been here before and knew where everything was. Bobby had given Marvin firm instructions not to let me dawdle too long. Supposedly camp couldn't be set up until everyone was here, accounted for and assigned to work detail.

Fifteen minutes later, Marvin and I arrived back to the cars. I was looking much more relaxed and the boys were looking surprised. Evidently _no one_ walked away from Mr. Brown when he was going to give out instructions. No one and that included me. Well if no one had ever been allowed to tee-tee before they got started setting up camp there was probably a reason that Bobby had a lot of _former_ girlfriends.

Bobby had the boys line up and count off one through six. The matching numbers were designated to be teams and had to work together. There was a lot of work to this camping stuff. Gathering firewood, clearing a place for the fire, sorting out the food, setting up tents. Depending on the task, the boys were handed out various tools, shovels, axes and the like.

Larry, Timmy and I were supposed to put up one of the tents. Bobby made it tricky, you didn't necessarily put up your own tent, so you had to do a good job. Great. Larry and Timmy knew which end of the ax to use to put down the stakes and I felt like a fool. Bobby tried to explain to me how it all worked, that was the good news. The bad news was that right after he left, the tent we were working on fell down and I was inside it. That was when the final vehicle pulled in.

I tried to stick my head out to see who Bobby's new recruits were going to be. I had to sit down and put my head between my knees, it wasn't good and I wasn't going to be happy. Shit. It was Ranger, Lester and Tank. Bugger. Bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger, bugger.

The guys reported in to Bobby like he was a drill sergeant or something, looking for what needed to be done and looking incredibly pleased with themselves. They split off to unload the SUVs and help some of the groups.

I decided to take the high road and just keep doing what I was doing. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for Larry and Timmy. We were saved from ourselves by Tank. Tank was able to get our tent up in five minutes; we had been struggling for an hour and a half. Then, hurrah hurrah, we got to start on the next tent. We had the same team with the same skills, getting the same results and ultimately got the same hero. I had a feeling I was going to owe Tank big by the end of this.

I asked Bobby if I could hang and work with Tank on whatever Tank was doing. No such luck. It seemed that Bobby saw this as something like boot camp. You know, a survival of the fittest thing and everyone following orders. Just my luck.

Ranger quietly came up behind me, put his arms around my middle and whispered into my ear, "Babe, you can think of Boy Scouts as like a prequel to boot camp. Why do you think we all fit in here so well?"

This was not the encouragement I think he planned.

"I have a quick question for you, Ranger," I said.

He said, "Go ahead, shoot."

"Why are there no volunteer dads here this weekend? I mean, there were regular Joes who probably wanted to spend the weekend with their kids. What did you do with them? You didn't hurt any of them did you?"

"I didn't do anything to any of them, Babe. I just made them a better offer. They are getting a nice evening out with their wives or girlfriends and babysitting is paid for by Rangeman."

"Pretty cheap as far as your bribes go, Batman," I said. "Any particular reason you wanted to join the Boy Scouts this weekend?"

"Just wanted to be out in nature and hear the trees talk," Ranger said as he went back to unloading one of the trucks.

The amount of work that was going into all of this made me wonder why more people just didn't go to Motel 6, it was a whole lot less work.

Larry, Timmy and I were assigned to do the firewood collection. Seemed that we were only supposed to get the dead stuff off the ground and not look for the big stuff on our own. Larry and Timmy were considered 'inexperienced' just like me. After about an hour and three full armfuls of branches and twigs Larry headed us back to the camp.

Larry was the only one who knew where we were going. Seems that Larry kept turning around to see what things looked like behind us. He told me that we all knew what things looked like in front of us, but when we left they'd look different so he kept turning around. Gee, I'd just sort of thought that he had a short attention span.

After we got back, it seemed that most of the rest of camp had been set up. Lester had been declared head cook and was going to work on it with Steve and Mark. Evidently, Ella was only allowed to provide the basic foodstuffs like canned things, meat, and bread. The guys were supposed to make the meals for themselves, over a fire no less.

At this point, Bobby took a look at the number of people in the group and tents and decided to set up tent buddies. Figuring out the kids assignments was easy; all team members shared a tent.

Figuring out the adults wasn't so easy, there were six adults and only three leftover tents. This was going to be awkward at best. Ranger didn't trust me alone with either Lester or Bobby right now, and both of them wanted to bunk with me. Tank didn't want to share with Hector. I wasn't trusting my hormones to stay in check if I was alone in a tent with Ranger. Besides, if there was any real fun to be had, I didn't want to be quiet about it. In the end, Bobby heard everyone out and put Tank with Lester, Hector was with me, leaving Ranger with Bobby. Why should I care? Hector is harmless, right? I could do this, no problem. We were all adults, right?

Most of the adult males were not entirely happy with the sleeping arrangements, least of all Ranger. It seemed that he had it in his head that we would share a tent. I sort of thought we would too. Hector was actually going to be a nice buffer in front of the kids. If there had been one more tent, I would have been alone with the noises of the night. Maybe the Boy Scouts didn't plan for every contingency? Maybe this was a test of some kind?

Tank was showing some of the boys the finer art of starting a fire while Ranger was helping schlep water in pots from the SUVs to the 'kitchen'. From what I was able to see from the contents of the coolers, it was going to be franks and beans. God, it could be a long night in those tents. Yeesh. What was Bobby thinking?

Bobby had the rest of us organizing our tents so that we were ready to 'go-go-go' for the afternoon. Hector and I got our foam pieces and sleeping bags and put them in the tents. We couldn't decide on who got which side of the tent. Normally, I liked to sleep on the side of the bed, or the side of the room, that was closer to the bathroom. Kind of difficult when it is directly between you. In the end, Hector made the executive decision that put me on the left side.

He unloaded his pack and I couldn't believe the mountain of stuff he had in it. Jeez, it looked almost like the same amount of stuff that had been on my bed at home before I left. Minus the make up. Hector smiled to himself when he saw what I did, and didn't, bring. The big makeup bag kind of threw him for a loop. I'm from Jersey, we girls have a standard of beauty to uphold and I was going to do my level best to uphold it with, or without, electricity.

Because I don't cook, or have a lot of the other skills the guys had, I wound up on clean up duty after lunch. Lunch was much better than to be expected, guess Lester was a decent choice as camp cook after all. I couldn't believe the number of dishes and pots it took to feed 18 people, and none of the plates were paper and none of the utensils were plastic. OK, doing our part for the environment but doing nothing for my manicure. I was definitely going to have to see if Bobby would let me use his surgical gloves to do the dishes the rest of this weekend.

Bobby broke the group into two, half of us were going to go on a hike and half of us were going to work on archery. I wound up in the hike group with Lester and Tank. The guys set a brisk pace for the hike and kept pointing out things the fellas might want to either see or know about. Once I finally got into it, it was pretty nifty that they could both identify all of the trees and birds, something I couldn't ever do.

The hike was considered short by Scout standards, it was less than three hours. We didn't return to camp the way we came. We hiked some kind of a circuit. Anyway, there was a really pretty stream that we walked next to. We had to cross the stream in order to get back on the path to get to camp. I brought up the rear and thought I had been watching how the boys did it. They all stepped on a couple of rocks and were across. I stepped on the 'same' rocks and promptly fell on my ass in the stream. I was cold, soaked, tired and upset with myself.

Danny asked me, "Miss Plum, weren't you aware of your surroundings? You put your foot on the wrong rock." It was all I could do not to cry in frustration.

When I made it back to camp, looking like a wet cat, Bobby and Ranger tried hard not to laugh. Hector asked what he could do, and elected himself to help me find dry clothes. Then, he walked me to the little out building so I could change in comfort and not worry too much about people watching.

No sooner did I make it to the little building than my period started.

My period had never been early before. Late yes, and that caused a major panic, but _never ever early_. I had not heeded my mother's advice, "Always take some protection with you when you go on vacation. God hates to see women have too much fun." I'd always thought she meant _condoms_, not this. My period always started on every national holiday or vacation as a matter of course. I just hadn't considered this to be vacation and so I wasn't prepared. Damn it.

It took me longer than I thought to change out because I was so cold and miserable. Thank God for Hector, he went ahead and found some branches and put my wet clothes out by the kitchen fire to see if they would get dry; yes, even my unmentionables for everyone to see. I really hoped that Lester wasn't going to critique my undies to my face, I didn't have the skills to kill him slowly and painfully. Probably my shoes needed to go in front of the fire too, they made an awful squishing sound when I walked.

By the time I got back to the campsite all Ranger could say to me was, "Babe."

Lovely, the word 'Babe' was going to make all the difference in the world right now. Right now what I needed was a heating pad, some Midol, tampons and a nap. God, this was going to be hard to explain to Bobby.

I got Bobby off by himself and tried to tell him what was going on, "Hey Bobby, I need to get back to town. I forgot some important supplies."

"Steph, you were told the rules. There is no going back for something you forgot. If you didn't bring it, we'll try to borrow it, make something, or you will just have to do without," he said in the loud drill sergeant voice.

During our little exchange, Ranger had come behind me. He said, "Steph I know you are uncomfortable right now, but it'll all be OK. Stuff happens to everyone on these trips."

I turned to look at him and I pleaded, "It's not like that. It is personal and it is important. If I don't take care of it soon I'm going to be really uncomfortable and cranky. Can we put an emphasis on the cranky?"

The little light of realization was not dawning on either man. I hadn't really wanted to say it out loud in specific terms, so I chose a girlie one. "Ranger, Aunt Flo has come to visit."

"What? I wasn't aware of anyone else arriving at camp," Ranger said.

Men can be so freaking clueless. I finally whispered in his ear, "Ranger I got my stupid period and I didn't bring anything with me. It's EARLY and I didn't think about the possibility of it."

"Bobby, I know you don't want Steph to go to town, but this really is something that has to be handled by a trip to town," Ranger said.

My hero.

Bobby said, "Nope, she knew the rules. We'll improvise something."

Ranger said quietly, but forcefully, into Bobby's ear, "She needs feminine stuff and I'm not going to explain to a bunch of young boys why we are cutting up towels for her to use. I am going to take one of the rigs and go to town. I should be back in an hour or so."

Bobby nodded mutely, not much to say to that I guess. Ranger got into the SUV he had driven and tore down the road.

"Sorry about not cluing in Steph, it just never occurred to me. It's never happened to me before. It's just not one scenarios I ever contemplated. If you'd started a forest fire, I would've been ready."

Jerk.

"It'll be OK. I'll live, it's not like it doesn't happen every month. You didn't sneak any Midol in those handy first aid kits of yours did you?"

"Sorry, I don't have any. I can get you aspirin, Tylenol or Advil. Will one of those work?" he asked.

"One of them is gonna have to work, Bobby, the cell phones are out of range here so we can't call Ranger back. It'll be fine, give me a couple of Advil and some water if you've got it," I said.

I got some water for my camp issued metal cup and took the Advil. I was getting ready to sit on a rock when Hector came up to me. Great another man, just what I wanted and needed.

"Nena ¿que tienes? What's the matter?" he asked with sincerity.

"I just hurt, it'll be fine soon," I said. I had my hand on my lower belly and had been rubbing it trying to make the cramps go away.

He left and went to talk to Lester. The two of them talked to Bobby and Tank. Bobby came back to talk to me. Great, everyone was now officially involved in the _Stephanie Plum has her Period Committee_. Seemed everybody was going to get a vote in how I was going to handle my monthly. Lovely, just shoot me now. Didn't they think I had handled this before? Jeez.

Bobby, who had evidently drawn the short straw, came back to where I was sitting and said to me quietly, "Steph, do you want to take a nap until the meds kick in?"

"Sure, why not? Will you wake me when Ranger comes back with the supplies?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll know when he gets here. You'll hear him at least half a mile before he arrives. Sorry about being clueless earlier," he said.

Hector volunteered to walk me back to our tent and he helped me out of the wet shoes. He tucked me into my sleeping bag and kissed my forehead. "Dulces suenos con los angelitos, nena" he said (Sweet dreams with the little angels, babe).

He left as quietly as he could and I fell into a fitful doze. I just couldn't get comfortable. If this was any indication of how a night of sleeping was going to be, I was not going to get a single wink later that night.

I had almost gotten comfortable when I felt like I was no longer alone. Ranger was crouched by my sleeping bag. He said, "Steph, I've got some supplies for you."

"Give 'em here," I said trying to keep the cranky tone out of my voice.

"It's not that easy, Babe. I didn't know what to get you. I want for you to go with me to the rig and make sure I've got what you want or need," he said sounding kind of unsure of himself.

"Ok, I'm up. Let's go," I said looking around for my shoes. They were nowhere to be found, I guess Hector took them to the fire to dry out.

Ranger offered to carry me, but I felt I had been fussed over quite enough. So I hobbled out and went to his vehicle under my own steam. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I looked in the back. It looked like Ranger bought _one of everything_ in the feminine hygiene aisle, even the itch creams. Seemed he was afraid of making the wrong choice so he made _all_ the choices. I had no idea how much money he spent but it must have been a fortune.

I selected the box that I normally used and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thanks for the thoughtfulness, Batman. Will we need to take the rest back when we leave?" I asked.

"Nope, I'm going to donate them to a charity and let them figure it out. I'm just glad I was able to get you what you needed. Come on. Get in," he said shyly. Clearly this was not a topic he was comfortable with. He actually moved the SUV over to the 'little girl's room' so I wouldn't have to walk there right now. He let me out and waited for me outside.

When I came out, he had his hands in his pockets looking sort of unsettled. Ranger acting shy and unsure of himself was new and different. He held me very carefully, like I had a contagious disease and he might be the next victim. After he released me, he handed me a pair of flip flops he'd picked up knowing my shoes would still be wet and the large size Hershey Bar with Almonds.

"Definitely my hero," I said to Ranger and gave him another soft kiss.

We both got back into the SUV and he moved it to rejoin the others.

Because I was busy taking care of my own little drama, I actually wound up missing the archery lesson with my group. The guys were glowing about how much fun it was and what great teachers Lester and Tank were; heck even I knew that. Tank evidently spent a lot of time on safety while Lester focused on how much fun it was, no big surprise there either.

After the archery lesson, the kids who had been helping Lester earlier got to help him make supper; the rest of them went to look for more firewood. Dinner was going to be stew and there was a lot of chopping and other prep work to do to make the meal. I did continue to do wash the knives and assorted pots that were used in the making of dinner. Just because I felt like crap didn't mean I couldn't help out, so I did.

Tank got me excused from further 'kitchen duty' so I could retire to the luxuries of my tent. I was able to self medicate in the 'comfort' until someone came and got me for whatever we were doing later. It gave me some time to read a part of the romance novel I brought with me and a little time away from all the testosterone.

Later Lester himself escorted me from my tent to the ladies' and then to join the boys for supper. Supper was like lunch, surprisingly good and very filling. All the boys and men were being very good to me. Probably this would all wear off tomorrow and I would be a regular Jane. I was looking forward to tomorrow.

After supper was declared to be over and the dishes were done, the fire was stoked. It was May but the evenings were pretty darned chilly when the sun went down. I hoped they were going to make s'mores and they did. If I had known about that earlier I might not have wolfed down the big candy bar.

Bobby got out a guitar. I never knew he played, but then again, I didn't know that much about Bobby when this all started anyway. Everyone, including Ranger, moved closer to the fire. I guessed sing-a-longs were pretty much the standard at these things. At least they weren't doing ghost stories.

I had taken some additional Advil and had just gotten back from yet another trip to the ladies' in time for the evening's festivities. Hector and I sat next to each other, touching from the shoulders down, just enough body heat to be comforting. One of the kids was seated at a short distance on the other side of me. The meds had kicked in and I had hit a nice mellow place: I didn't hurt, I was well fed and I was warm and dry. Life was good.

Bobby started the sing-a-long with 'America the Beautiful' and moved to 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy' and then he got the boys to do a few others with him. Lester looked at Ranger and Hector and they did the ESP thing because they did a song in Spanish. It was called "Con Tu Amor" (With Your Love). When it was over, Lester and Ranger started it over in English, Hector apparently didn't know the English words.

The English words the guys sang went something like this:

**I was alone. Filled with sadness. Everything I did just seemed to go wrong. Then you came along and ended my madness. Filling me up, filling me up with your love. I had no one. I was a free man. Dreaming of someone like you and hoping the dream would come true. You are like the sunshine. You got rid the rain. With your love I forgot all my pain. With your love I am no longer lonely. With your love I am filled with happiness. With your love my pain disappeared.**

I actually liked it better before I knew what the words meant. If any one of them were aiming that song in my direction, it was making me pretty darned uncomfortable. That I might have changed any or all of these men's lives was a little overwhelming. I decided it was just an old standard and they all knew the words and I let it go at that.

Some of the boys started to yawn and so did I. Everyone went to do their own thing in their tents to get ready for bed except for me, well Marvin and me. Marvin and I went up the hill so I could do my business, that way I could let Hector have the tent first. I went in afterwards and didn't feel at all awkward. I didn't take any of my clothes off, but I added to what I had on. I was really starting to feel the chill.

Hector turned off the lantern after I got settled in my sleeping bag and then leaned over to kiss me good night. It was much more than any of the friendly cheek kisses or even the one lingering kiss at my door. This slow and easy kiss spoke of promise, fulfillment and a desire for something more. I found myself looking for the something more the kiss was promising and so it continued. Finally Hector ended the kiss with a quiet good night and then he rolled over onto his side and went instantly to sleep.

I could have lived with Hector's snoring and was almost asleep. That was when it started to snow. God must have it out for me not making it to mass for the last couple of years, I mean really. I had blisters from the new shoes, my period had started, the monster cramps had returned, my partner (for the lack of a better word) was snoring and now it was lightly snowing. Lovely.

I must have groaned loud enough to wake up Hector. He immediately tensed and asked, "You OK?"

"I would have been except for the snow, the cold and the cramps. I'll get over it. Sorry I woke you up," I said.

"Do you want to be warmer?" he asked.

Well duh. I just nodded.

Hector unzipped his sleeping bag and got out. He indicated for me to get up and he zipped my bag to his. Before it was all the way zipped, he had me get in and then he got in with me and finished zipped it up. I didn't care if he was gay, straight or an ax murderer at that point, body heat was a good thing, and I was about to freeze to death.

He laid on his side and got me into the spooning position. He held me close keeping his hand on my belly so he could rub it, seemed he understood a little something about cramps. I was about to drift off to sleep when I felt his hand slip under my clothes still rubbing my belly. I had to force myself to breathe and to remain calm. I mean it felt good and I wasn't worried, much, but Ranger was just going to have a cow if he found out about this.

I must have tensed back up at the thought of Ranger because the next thing I knew Hector was humming the song the three of them had sung earlier that night, periodically kissing the back of my neck and my shoulder. At some point I sighed and gave up the tension. I could feel his body change as he held me even closer and we both fell asleep. That's the last thing I remember happening, I swear.

How Ranger wound up in my tent in the middle of the night was beyond me. I felt him before I heard him, as usual. I knew damned well that Ranger noticed the sleeping bags were zipped together. Things looked especially bad for me because Hector had one leg over mine, his hand was under my shirt, his face buried in my neck, my head was on his arm. We couldn't have gotten any closer without trading places.

Damn it.

_A/N: The song Con Tu Amor by Juan Gabriel is 20 years old, and yes it sounds hokey, and yes it was done in a couple of different beats. I liked the words and thought they fit. It is available on You Tube – but I can't get the links to work._

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Page 11 of 11


	11. Chapter 11

Standard disclaimers all apply.

No Merry Men or Boy Scouts were harmed in the creation of this story. They will all be returned unharmed (mostly) at the end.

Jaime: I couldn't have done this without you and the wee-hours of the morning editing/brainstorming sessions. You rock!

Kate Manoso – thanks for your attention to my editorial lack of powers

Melody – thanks for finding the inconsistencies I have overlooked by being too close to them!!

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣ ♣♣♣♣

_How Ranger wound up in my tent in the middle of the night was beyond me. I felt him before I heard him, as usual. I knew damned well that Ranger noticed the sleeping bags were zipped together. Things looked bad for me because Hector had one leg over mine, his hand under my shirt, my head was on his arm. We couldn't have gotten any closer without trading places. _

_Damn it._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 11 ****♣**** May The Trip Part 2**

Of course Ranger immediately noticed the fact that our sleeping bags were zipped together and we looked pretty damned cozy. I shifted myself so I was mostly out of so intimate a position. I would have scrambled further away, but I was all zipped in. This was like a line out of an old country western song, "if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all."

Hector mumbled, "No te vayas, nena." (Don't go, babe.) Then he reached out for me and tried to pull me back where I'd been so cozily ensconced. I moved his hand and tried a little harder to get away, not that there was anywhere to go.

Ranger's face head jealousy written all over it. 'Oh come on,' I thought. 'This isn't how it appears. It's like when I slept with Lester. Jeez.' God I hoped that Ranger didn't hear what I was thinking.

Ranger started to say something so I cut him off and whispered to him first, "Don't wake Canelo up, he's had a long day. We've all had a long day."

"Babe," he started.

"No Ranger, don't start."

Hector mumbled in his sleep, "Everything OK?"

I knew Ranger wasn't happy, nope not happy at all. Thankfully Ranger kept his composure.

"Babe, Bobby and I are handing out the wool blankets from the back of the SUVs. Do you guys want a couple to keep you warmer?" he asked trying to keep the malice out of his voice.

"Ranger, of course we'll take an extra couple of blankets. It is freezing around here. Why would God let it snow in May, for crying out loud?" I said softly. Ranger was still shooting daggers at Hector so I raised my voice, "Canelo, you are gay right?" I had asked the question loudly enough for both men to hear my voice.

"Yes, very, very gay. I promise. Back to sleep, please, nena," Hector said.

"See Ranger, no problem. What you've seen is just for warmth, I promise. Nothing going on," I said.

"OK Babe. But, if you want to change tent buddies for a couple of hours, I am more than willing to keep you warm."

I was ready to say something when I heard Hector's voice mumble, "Si. Very, very gay. Muy feliz." Then he mumbled a few more things in Spanish which I couldn't hear and didn't think Ranger could either.

"Good night Ranger, I'll see you in the morning. Thanks for the extra blankets. Sleep tight."

"Good night Babe, Hector," Ranger said stiffly.

What the hell did he expect? I was asleep, warm and comfy and had to find that position all over again. I shouldn't have worried. Hector pulled me into him, his hand returned to the bare skin of my belly, and he kissed my neck. We both went back to sleep almost instantly.

Right around dawn next morning, Bobby started to bellow something along the lines of, "Rise and Shine."

All I could do was groan. My cramps had returned with a vengeance. My body was sore from sleeping on the ground, despite or maybe because of the thing layer of foam. Lastly, my tent buddy was no longer keeping me warm. Hector had rolled away from me at some point and was sleeping on his side facing away from me. Why couldn't he have been in that position when Ranger looked in? Oh yeah, because this trip had disaster written all over it from the beginning, that's why.

Hector must have heard Bobby and felt me stretch and yawn. He rolled onto his back and reached out for me. "Ven aqui, OK," he said (Come here, OK.) I didn't get the meaning of the words, but the pantomime made his point clear. I rolled to where he was and put my head on his shoulder. It just felt right somehow, nice.

He said, "Hi." A man of few words in the morning, probably he needed coffee and so did I.

I sighed and said, "Hi to you, too."

Somehow he shifted both of our bodies so we were on our sides facing each other, it would have been romantic under other circumstances and with a straight man.

He put his hand to my face and rubbed it gently with his thumb. "How are you today? Better?" he asked quietly.

"Just a little sore, thanks. How did you sleep?"

"It was the nicest dream I can ever remember. Why was Ranger in my dream?"

"Probably because he gave us extra blankets late last night," I said.

"I understand," he said. He had been rubbing my face gently the entire time.

I was starting to prop myself up on my elbow so I could get a start on the day when he stopped me. The man moved like a cat. He was over my body instantly and he began to kiss me. It was a lot like the kisses last night, but these were rapidly growing in both heat and in intensity. It didn't take long for my breathing to become ragged. Just as I thought things could get really interesting between us, he stopped.

He must have heard something outside of the tent. I was completely caught up in the moment and had been blissfully unaware of my surroundings. Hector must have been multi-tasking.

"Knock, knock Bomber, Canelo," came Lester's voice. "You two decent? I hope not, I am looking for a cheap thrill this morning."

The voice coming from outside the tent was like a bucket of cold water on me. Lester said something in Spanish that sounded like a tease, but I had no idea what it was. Lester made his way quickly inside of our tent looking incredibly pleased with himself. I had been making an attempt to get out from under Hector and disentangle myself. I wasn't getting very far because he wasn't letting go very easily. Hector was shooting a very angry look at Lester. Damned zipped sleeping bag, I didn't think I was going to ever get out of it.

Lester leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Ranger will blow a gasket if he finds you two like this, Steph. Do you really want to pull that tiger's tail?" Then a little louder he said, "Canelo coffee is ready for you and it's your turn to get wood this morning. Never mind, I see you have morning wood."

Oh my god, Hector definitely did have morning wood.

He promised he was gay last night and mumbled a lot of other things, so what's with what's been going on just now? I had been so caught up in the moment and the pure physicality of it all that I hadn't been thinking. Then again that seemed to be how I wound up in most of the messes in my life; I don't think enough.

"Come on you two, you were among the first to bed and now you are the last out of the sack this morning. You aren't going to be invited back to camp this summer, Beautiful, if this keeps up. Everyone else is up and rearing to go. I've got to get breakfast started. Don't make me send in the munchkins to get you moving," Lester said with a huge smile in his voice.

I shot Lester my best pissy look, the one I save for special occasions, as I said, "Hey Buster, I'm not worried about being invited back for the summer camp. Besides, I had unexpected 'issues' yesterday. I should be over the worst of them today. So I am up and going to make the long walk to the facilities."

With that I unceremoniously got of out Hector's grip and out of the sleeping bag. I gathered my dignity, put one of the blankets over my shoulders, grabbed my flip flops and left the two men in the tent. I walked over to the fire to see if my shoes were done, the flip flops offered nothing in terms of keeping my feet warm. The shoes were dry, singed but dry. I took them off their sticks went back to my tent, grabbed the makeup bag and went on the long trek to the little girls' room.

Because it was cold and Ranger made sure the only water was for the toilets, I had no shower, and I had no water to tame my hair with. I did what I could with what I had on hand and with what God gave me, which isn't saying much for the results. All the guys had seen me before looking far worse and the Scouts didn't matter, I was sure they'd all seen their moms have bad days.

It was going to be a scary day for everybody.

If anyone so much as mentioned my hair or lack of appropriate makeup I might just kill someone, unless of course they had a doughnut in their hand. The chances of finding a Boston Crème this morning were slim to none.

When I finally made it to the group of adults, Bobby made a point of saying, "Nice of you to join us, princess. We were starting to wonder whether or not you would be with us this morning."

I so wanted to lay into him and say what was really on my mind, but I couldn't. Somehow I just couldn't shoot the bird in front of all those eleven year old boys. I just knew they would tell their mothers when they got back and then it would get back to mine. So far, my mother wasn't taking in any extra laundry and this would set off a spray starch shortage of epic proportions. I reluctantly decided it was best to keep my fingers to myself.

"Well Mr. Brown, sometimes it takes a lady a little longer in the morning. Beauty, such as it is, has a price either in money or in time; sometimes in both. I do thank you for welcoming me back to the group this morning," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

I was getting ready to reach to make a cup of coffee. Before I could do it myself, Hector shook his head at me and then poured a cup for me and added milk and sugar just the way I liked it. Then he handed it to me with a smile. Damn, the boy had manners.

Lester shot a look over at Bobby. Bobby looked at Tank. The three of them looked at Ranger. Ranger looked at me and my newly presented cup of coffee. He was obviously steaming, no pun intended. I noticed the look but Hector seemed to be oblivious to Ranger's dark mood, just as well.

'What crawled up his ass and died? I'm the one having my period. I have an excuse to be in a bad mood, not Ranger. Ranger is used to the twigs and berries while living in the open. He should just get over it at least until my coffee and Advil kick in,' I thought to myself and I didn't really care if any of that was said out loud.

I did say out loud, "Bobby do you have any more of those magic pills available this morning?"

"Again? Steph, it really can't be that bad," he said.

Stupid. Stupid man. Captain Oblivious, yep, that should be his name. No wonder there were a bunch of _former_ girlfriends.

"Bobby, unless you want to be dealing with cramps of your own, inflicted by me, you'll kindly provide some of those PILLS. NOW," I said, the bitchy tone in my voice was growing by the second. "I don't mean to lose my temper. But come on, they're just pain killers for some freaking killer pain here people!"

All of a sudden the men who had been crowded around me started to give me a little more room to breathe. A bunch of former military men who made a living by intimating others were intimidated by me, pretty funny. Well everyone except for Hector, who wasn't ex-military, who came closer to me.

Tank said in a stage whisper, "Aren't you even a little afraid right now?"

"No. I have six sisters. I've seen it all. I lived with it for years. It will pass," Hector said with a smile.

Hector stood behind me leaning into me with one of his hands around my waist and the other low on my tummy rubbing it just the right way to make me feel better. He was whispering I have no idea what in my ear; it was soft and melodic. Just hearing his voice made me relax. I was feeling a little better, clueless to what he was saying, but definitely feeling better. I was finally starting to breathe normally again and relax. 'At last,' I smiled as I thought to myself, 'a man who understands women, the rest of these men are just plain clueless.'

Bobby had disappeared for a minute and reappeared looking sheepish.

"Steph, here're your pills. Hey, why don't you work with some of the guys and get some firewood? We don't have enough to get the fire hot enough to make breakfast and lunch. If this weather keeps up, we're gonna have to call it a day early anyway. The parents get upset if the kids come back sick from over exposure to the cold," Bobby said from behind Tank.

Chicken. He could look at all kinds of blood and guts, but he couldn't cope with me.

I found Larry and Timmy and we headed out to look for more firewood. Seemed that no matter how much you thought you had, you were going to need more. Ah, to get warm all the way through and not have to worry about all the extra layers. I wasn't listening to their conversation and I was off in Denial Land; the home of the never ending hot water tank and bubble bath stuff. I hoped Larry could figure out how to get us back to camp later. I had no idea where we were or how we had gotten there. An hour and some creative swearing later, we found our way back.

We didn't find as much wood as Lester wanted to keep the fire going, so I was sent back out, again, with another batch of recruits. It seemed that Joey and Matt must have done something wrong in a past life because they got assigned to go with me and do the whole looking for wood thing. Couldn't we just go to the store and buy some precut stuff they sell outside? Jeez.

We got back to find that Lester had provided oatmeal for breakfast and had started some kind of canned tomato soup and was making sandwiches assembly line style with a couple of the guys for lunch. 'For this I needed to be out walking in the woods? I've been cold for over two hours. Good thing I was never a Boy Scout,' I thought to myself and then laughed.

"Doing better, Babe?" Ranger asked. His bad mood about the coffee earlier had passed.

"Yup, just looking forward to when I can feel my feet again. Dang it's cold. How long before we hit the road?" I asked.

"Probably after lunch. Bobby turned on the radio to find that there is an even bigger snow storm headed this way in a couple of hours and we need to get ready to move out. You know, we really haven't had any alone time this weekend."

"I know we haven't, but I didn't expect you here in the first place. I thought you were going to 'listen to the trees' by yourself. I sort of thought there would be some boring dads to keep me company and I sure wasn't expecting this kind of weather."

"Babe, remember when we initially laid out all of your stuff on the bed to pack you?" I nodded. He continued, "I knew then that you might need some extra moral support and I wanted to give that to you. I didn't expect Aunt Flo', but I did plan to expect the unexpected," he said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means, I have more of your clothes in my tent and I think you might want to add at least one of the sweaters and put real gloves on, not the socks you've got on your hands," he said teasingly.

"You break into my apartment to see what I left behind, Batman?"

"Guilty," he said.

"Thank you. Do you mind leading me to the sweater and gloves, please?" I asked.

I really wished he would have mentioned the additional clothes a couple of hours ago, but I had scrounged an extra t-shirt here and a sweat shirt there. I wasn't a fashion plate by anyone's estimation and I wasn't all that warm. I guessed he had to get himself together over the whole Hector thing.

I followed him into his tent and then he zipped it closed. He scrounged around for my sweater and gloves. I took off my borrowed jacket and sweater, anticipating the new one. Before I could take the new sweater from his hand, Ranger held me closely, kissed me thoroughly and breathed into my ear, "You have no idea how much I wanted you in here with me last night. I ached to feel you in my arms, to hold you, to kiss you. You don't know what you do to me." He began another long drawn out kiss. I was sure it would have gone on much longer but I was shivering.

"Ranger," I barely breathed.

"Yeah, Babe," he said.

"Freezing here, Ranger, need to put more clothes on or go into the SUV and turn on the heater. I know you'd like to keep me warm, but right now isn't the time or the place. Besides we'll have an audience and I'm definitely not into audience mode."

Reluctantly he handed me my sweater and I added it to the previously shed layers. I tried to look normal, as in hadn't just had the daylights kissed out of me by Ranger, and I failed.

As I expected, there were several campers with Lester hanging out in front of Ranger's tent. Lester was trying to look nonchalant. The harder Lester tried to look nonchalant, the more 'chalant' he looked. I never would have guessed that Lester was actually the head gossip monger of the Rangeman grapevine. I always thought that Lester was too busy playing the field to notice any of the everyday stuff around him. Wrong.

"Come on guys, back to work. Nothing exciting happening over here," Lester sang out cheerily as he sauntered back to the food prep area.

I went back into my own tent and started to repack my stuff by myself. I wasn't trusting my hormones alone with Ranger and a ready made audience. I got my stuff repacked and as squished as I could so it would all go back in the original bags. I unzipped the two sleeping bags and noticed the lingering fragrance, it was subtle and spicy. God, it smelled good. I bent down and picked up his sweater, it had the same smell. I had never noticed the cologne Hector wore before and damn if this wasn't about to kill me.

I repackaged 'my' sleeping bag and the foam I had been using and made it into as neat a bundle as I possibly could. I did the same for Hector's, I was here. It was here. It smelled like him.

Shit.

My hormones were in overdrive. I wasn't sleeping with Ranger for any number of reasons, the least of which was the audience thing. I was sleeping with Hector and he was gay. Both of them had been kissing me during the last several hours. I was going to go nuts.

I had a passing thought to help Hector to pack just to stay near that smell. Mental head slap, right now I needed away from too much male closeness.

Things were getting seriously out of hand, if I didn't find some chocolate soon there would be an incident. I was going to take someone, anyone, behind a hill and have my way with him, at this point it didn't matter to me which 'him' it was as long as 'he' was anatomically correct and capable. Thank God it was snowing or one of them would be in some serious trouble, audience and reputation be damned.

I left the tent looking for support of some kind any kind or even a distraction. Thankfully I found Tank.

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Page 7 of 7


	12. Chapter 12

_**As usual, no money has exchanged hands, drat it all, and I don't have permission to have this much fun with all of my clothes on.**_

_**No Merry Men or Boy Scouts were harmed in the creation of this chapter. Stephanie, on the other hand, could really use a trip to a spa right about now.**_

_**Thanks to Jaime, Kate M and Melody for all their insight and inspiration – you ladies have made this a relatively pain free experience.**_

_Things were getting seriously out of hand, if I didn't find some chocolate soon there would be an incident. I was going to take someone, anyone, behind a hill and have my way with him, at this point it didn't matter to me which 'him' it was as long as 'he' was anatomically correct and capable. Thank God it was snowing or one of them would be in some serious trouble, audience and reputation be damned._

_I left the tent looking for support of some kind any kind or even a distraction. Thankfully I found Tank._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 12 ****♣**** May The Trip Part 3**

I knew from past experience that Tank was a man who was prepared for anything and not just in a 'guns and ammo' kind of a way. Probably he had been a Boy Scout when he was little. Wait, this was Tank. I was pretty sure Tank had never been 'little' in his life.

Lula told me that he always made an effort to keep chocolate on hand for her 'use'. Lula's use varied on what her whims and needs were at any given time. Most of her uses I didn't want to know about; probably I would have died of embarrassment if I thought about what some of her uses for chocolate were.

For me, I only wanted to use chocolate as medicine. I crossed my fingers that Tank would have brought some with him and not just the vending machine size.

"Tank, do you have an emergency ration of chocolate you would be willing to share with a desperate woman?" I asked in all seriousness. I was trying to stay calm and centered. I was breathing slowly and deeply because if he had no chocolate 'an incident' behind a hill might just occur and I wasn't ready for the scandal of that.

"Depends on the woman. I always keep extra chocolate handy for Lula, but she's not here. Do you know any other women who might be desperate around here?" he asked trying to be cute.

"Tank, I'm a woman on edge who needs chocolate now! Are you willing and able to help me or do I need to go somewhere else for my fix? I'm sure _someone_ has some chocolate around this place," I said. I was trying to keep the growl out of my voice, but not doing a very good job of it.

He looked at me and said in a teasing tone, "You are serious, aren't you? Since it's you and since I like you, kind of, I'll let you have some of it."

I followed Tank like a puppy back to his tent and gasped when I saw heaven in a bag. The man had two of the one pound chocolate bars and he was willing to share! I always knew he was a god in his own right.

Wait! He was breaking one of them up into small pieces? That can't be right! What??? NO!!

I was wrong. Tank was no longer a god. Nope. He was the devil himself.

"Tank, what gives?" I was trying to keep the panic out of my voice and I didn't think it was working.

"Steph, I hate to say this, but I am going to have to ration you. Looks like a storm, and this," he nodded to indicate the chocolate, "might need to make it beyond one afternoon or evening. I am rationing it for your own good and my safety."

Jerk.

I took a small piece of the piece of chocolate Tank had given me and put it into my mouth. I let the brown sweet goodness just melt on my tongue. As it flowed into my bloodstream, a sense of calm and peace began to come over me. Bliss, well OK, as much bliss as I was ever going to get from a small piece of chocolate.

We walked out of the tent together. My eyes were shining, this was going to be almost as good as the Advil, for my mood anyway.

"Thank you, Tank, you're the best," I said as I kissed him on the cheek. It seemed like a good idea at the time and the man had what I needed. I would gladly have done it again.

"So are you going to be kissing everyone this weekend, Steph?" Lester asked.

Why hadn't I seen it coming? Why? Because I was crazed for chocolate and overloaded on hormones, that's why. I walked over to Lester and gave him his kiss on the cheek and asked, "Does that make you feel all better?"

"I have other places I'd rather have you kiss more, Bomber, but it'll do for now. I didn't want to miss my opportunity. Besides we're gonna be leaving soon," he said as he walked away to attend to something or another.

I had to remind myself that I actually did like Lester, some. After all I was seeing him outside of his natural habitat, the nightclub, so he really wasn't himself. His behavior toward me was excused this weekend, for the most part.

Bobby had been standing nearby and was still looking a little afraid of me. Good something I could use to my advantage. I invaded his personal space and kissed his cheek, too.

"Thanks for letting me come this weekend, Bobby. It has been an adventure," I said and then I walked away leaving Bobby to wonder what the hell was going on.

"Lester since you have been so worried about whether or not I would be kissing all of the men at camp this weekend, now you know that I indeed have," I called over my shoulder.

I didn't see either Hector or Ranger. I swear.

I was thinking, 'At least I didn't tell Lester, "now you know that I've slept with all of the men in camp".'

Shit! I said that out loud.

"Babe, something you want to tell me?" Ranger asked.

I immediately turned around. Both he and Hector were in the same pose, arms crossed over chests looking at me as though they'd like to see me melt into the ground.

I was beyond busted for thinking without remembering to check whether or not my mouth was engaged first. I wished that I could just disappear.

Lester called out to Bobby, "Hey Bobby, you need to get back here. Steph's going to tell Ranger a story that you're gonna wanna to hear!"

Crappity crap, crap.

Why hadn't I just stayed home in Trenton, or stayed with Ranger this weekend? Ah, well looked like that offer was never going to be made again. Too late to think about what could have or might have been.

All of the 'adults' stood around me in a tight circle. I was in the middle alone. It kind of reminded me of earlier this morning, minus the coffee. No coffee and no one who might possibly come to my aid this time. Fudge.

"Ranger, guys, it isn't how Lester made it sound," I knew I was the one who said it, but I was hoping a little distraction would work.

"Babe, you were the one who said, 'now that I've slept with all of the men in camp'. Explain."

"It has all been the _sleeping_ kind of _slept_ with, not the other kind. Jeez, who do you think I am?" I was rambling and I knew it, but felt it was what I needed to do for my self preservation. "Anyway, you remember when Lester was teaching me the relaxation techniques? I fell asleep on his apartment floor, twice. Once it was just Lester and the second time Tank was there with Lester." He looked at me and nodded very slightly.

"Ok, then there was last night and I was in the tent with Canelo, and you know nothing happened. We _all_ know nothing happened."

Another nod, OK, this was going to be OK, I might be allowed to live at least a little longer.

"What about Bobby?" he asked.

"Seems that the afternoon he gave me my Boy Scout manual, I just couldn't keep my eyes open once I got cozy on his bed," I said.

"Elaborate," the man of few words said.

'Here goes nothing,' I thought.

"Bobby gave me the manual and since he had clients recovering in all of the available rooms, he took me to his bedroom and we started to read the manual on the bed. Did you know he doesn't have any chairs in his bedroom?" I asked praying my mother would be told where my body had been left or at the least that it wouldn't be shipped COD to the funeral home. "I don't remember much about reading the manual, but I do remember waking up on top of the covers to voices in the other room. Lester and Bobby were determined they didn't want you to know I had fallen asleep there. Besides, every time I tried to read the manual when I was alone I fell asleep then too so I gave up on it."

"Bobby. Is this true?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah," he said not making eye contact with Ranger, "I had heard that she had slept with Lester and Tank and they both lived to tell the tale. I thought it'd be funny to see if I could get her to do it too."

"So, this was some sort of a gag, or a joke, to you, Brown?" Ranger asked.

"Not really a joke, more like a challenge. But I didn't mean a thing by it. I am sorry Steph. I didn't mean to make you the butt of a joke," Bobby said, still not making any eye contact with anyone.

Ranger immediately looked at Hector and started talking to him in Spanish. There was no heat in the conversation, but there was no smiling either. Seemed that Ranger wanted to know if I had slept with Hector before last night. All I knew for sure was I heard a word that sounded a lot like 'respect' being thrown around. Ranger's fears were apparently squashed, I hadn't slept with Hector before last night and now everybody seemed to understand that.

"Bossman, now that you know how we've all ended up with the Bombshell sleeping with us, now it's your turn to tell us a story," said Lester.

Sheez. It seemed like Lester had some kind of a death wish. It was looking like it was one wish that might come true.

"Santos, are you really wanting to walk all the way back to Trenton on two broken legs?" Ranger asked.

"Well, you can't blame a guy for asking. I am sure when you did it was all perfectly innocent," he said with a huge smile and a wink. Evidently Lester thought if he pulled this tiger's tail he could outrun the tiger.

"Are we done here?" I asked. "Rumor had it that we're going to need to hit the road before much longer."

The little group disbanded and Ranger took me aside. He said, "I believe it was all innocent, Babe. I just don't like the idea of you sleeping with any other man, even if nothing is going on. I have no right to be jealous, but I am." He gave me a quick kiss and slapped me on the butt.

Ranger went back to Bobby to pow-wow about something and I went to the facilities. I had no idea how long it was going to be before we left and I needed a little bit of alone time. Thankfully no one attempted to follow me, I was grateful that they chose to respect my privacy, for once.

I was so far into my own world this weekend that I wasn't noticing half of what was going on around me. The kids had gone to work on their knot tying skills leaving the adults to make plans to get back to Trenton. Looked like Bobby was taking the weather report pretty seriously. We had been prepared for some cold, but evidently the mother of all storms was brewing and we were at the epicenter of the thing.

Bobby had four hand-held walkie talkie things, one for each vehicle. The drivers were supposed to keep them on and synced to the same frequency. They were good for about a five mile radius. Bobby wanted to make sure we could all hear each other in case the snow got worse. If we needed to pull over, we would all pull over. He didn't want any part of the group separated at any time.

The kids got their backpacks and/or duffels loaded and sleeping bags rolled. The adults all helped break the tents back down. Lester who was in charge of the fire was letting it burn out, he hadn't fed it in quite a while. He was going to douse it with water before we broke camp completely.

Bobby arranged for an assembly line of sorts to reload the vehicles in the most efficient way possible and before I knew it we were ready to hit the road. How they got so much stuff in the back of each vehicle was beyond me. Maybe Bobby also had a part time job as a professional organizer. Maybe I should take lessons. Probably that would count toward expanding my horizons or a merit badge, then again, maybe not.

Evidently it is part of the Boy Scout creed, or something, that you are supposed to leave things so that no one really knew you had been there. It seemed that Boy Scouts must be good training ground for Merry Men.

Each vehicle had kids in it this time. There was no way Batman was getting out of having bored kids in his vehicle. If it was good enough for me, it was good enough for him.

Since this had been Bobby's gig, he got to lead the caravan. Hector and Tank rode together. Ranger's vehicle followed, leaving me to bring up the rear with Lester.

It seemed that the kids were all going to do the iPod thing again so we would have relative peace and quiet in the car. Ok, so peace and quiet was a relative term. I had Lester and he could be the mouth that roared.

"So Steph," he started with that stupid grin of his, "what's the deal with you and Canelo?"

"What in the world are you talking about, Lester?" I asked. This was coming completely out of left field.

Shit, he had the walkie talkie in his hand and he had the broadcast button pushed. God damn that man. Now what was I going to do?

"I saw the way he was watching you last night. I noticed the way he's the only one who can get near you when you snap. He was the one who initiated last night's serenade of you. AND," he emphasized, "I saw the two of you this morning. I'd say it looked pretty darned cozy, but that's just me. Besides I saw the look in your eye right before you got the chocolate from Tank; it looked like you were going to have your wicked way with _someone._"

It took me a while to get myself under control. I mean, I wasn't the one driving and I was going to be in the car with Lester for at just under two hours, weather permitting. I had been crossing my fingers that we would be ahead of the storm.

Evidently Lester wanted to stir up some serious trouble for me. All I wanted to continue to live in a free country for the rest of my life. Shit. Now what?

"Canelo and I are just friends. You should know that. Nothing is going on, period," I hissed. "Besides, whenever I have my period my body _needs _chocolate or sugar of some kind. I was just lucky that Tank was as well prepared as he was."

How was I going to get through this without killing Lester? I mean I had a gun. But, where was I going to hide the corpse? Would any of the boys in the back help me dig a grave big enough to hide Lester's body?

Options. I had to weigh my options and I didn't have many. I felt that I was going to be in the middle of a big pile of _it_ no matter what I did or said when we got back to Trenton.

I was quiet for a while; I was thinking. I reached my decision on how to best distract Lester. I decided to _handle_ Lester and pray that there would be no car accident as a result.

I leaned next to Lester made sure he could see my face; I began to stroke up and down his thigh while I was licking my lips. Lester made an audible gulp and said, "Steph, what are you doing? Not that I am not enjoying it, but the roads are going to need full attention with the snow."

"I'm just talking to little old you," I purred. I just kept stroking up and down his thigh until I felt him relax. It eventually appeared that his whole body relaxed, OK most of his body relaxed and his breathing was getting rough. When he appeared to be sufficiently unaware of his immediate surroundings, I made a successful grab for the walkie talkie.

"Give it back Steph," Lester said.

"Nope, not doing it. You are putting me in a bad position, again, with everyone and I don't appreciate it. I am friends with all of you. I won't have you creating another pile of shit for me to wade through. You might be stronger than I am and have more skills as you like to say, but I am sure I can talk to Ranger. You remember about the blindfolds and you binding my hands? Anyway, I can present it to him in such a way that your skills won't save you from gym time alone with him and I don't care how I sound in _that_ story because we both know the truth of it."

Lester looked a little chastened, but not much, as he said, "Steph, I really am sorry about shooting my mouth off. Sometimes I just don't know what gets into me. I was just messing with you. I just pushed too hard."

"Lester, thanks for saying that, please say it again so I can broadcast it to the other cars," I said sweetly. Eventually he did. I crossed my fingers that it was enough to keep the peace when we all got home and I wouldn't have anything else to 'Explain'.

We were about one hour into the drive when the snow picked up to an almost whiteout condition. I couldn't see a damned thing and was glad that it was Lester driving. The walkie talkie crackled and I could hear Bobby's voice.

Bobby said, "There won't be any hotels for another ten miles and I don't want to take the risk of having an accident with all the kids. The next exit has a small bed and breakfast. We need to see if they are going to have some rooms. According to the radio this storm isn't going to let up and it is getting worse closer to Trenton."

The convoy all got off at the exit and followed Bobby's lead. There was a small private road off to the right and we followed it to the only house. It was large, old and had a sign that said, "Briscoe-Larkin Boarding House. Closed until spring."

How many more things could go wrong?

Bobby had us all stay in our vehicles while he went to the door. When he came back he sounded like a joke, "we have good news and we have bad news." Seemed that spring had already been declared. That was the good news. The bad news was that there weren't enough rooms with beds for everybody. More bad news they hadn't expected people to come this early in the season. Even more bad news, the owners didn't think they had enough food on hand to feed everyone. The good news was that we had more than enough food for two more days for everyone. Evidently Ella had planned ahead. All we really needed was some place to cook it. More good news, the kids had sleeping bags and nobody cared if someone, or several someones, slept on the floor.

Bobby and Ranger decided that this was the best possible port in the storm and we would find a way to make it work.

Ranger talked to the owners and came up with some kind of a deal. The owners would pretty much stay out of our way and we would be good stewards of the property for as long as we needed. I was pretty sure that a significant wad of cash changed hands which would guarantee us whatever we needed. How much was the annual Boy Scout budget anyway?

We headed to the cars to start to unload when Ranger took me gently by the elbow and walked me behind the house so we could _talk_. Ducky, it wasn't like I was wanting to have another 'talk'. Great.

"Babe, why did Lester broadcast an apology to you?" he asked.

"Didn't you hear what he had been saying before that?" I asked. I had seen Lester holding down the broadcast button and I was sure he had been making his smart ass comments so that Ranger could hear it and start some kind of a fight.

"No. What was Lester saying?" he persisted.

"Evidently nothing important. Lester was just baiting me and I fell for it," I said. "Nothing for you to worry about. It will all be fine. What do you want me to do to help out?" I asked.

"As long as you are sure, Steph. I'll let it go, for now," Ranger said.

I walked back to the vehicles to help with the unloading process. The guys were all doing the assembly line thing again. The next time I moved I was going to have to ask Bobby if we could make it a troop project. I wonder if the Boy Scouts have a merit badge for moving people's apartments?

When the backpacks and duffels had been loaded into the living room, there was another conversation with the 'adults' except it didn't seem like either Hector nor I were invited to this one. Seemed they were having the "who sleeps with whom" conversation, again.

The owners didn't want the boys unsupervised. Merry Men would have to bunk in each of the rooms that had kids, each room had three or four kids. I was just sure they were all pleased at that idea. Yeah and pigs fly, too. Well it was almost all of the Merry Men, no one wanted Hector or me alone with the kids. I thought that the gang tattoos on Hector's neck and arms had something to do with it until I moseyed over.

Bobby whispered to Ranger, "Because she's out of control and unpredictable this weekend. I don't want to subject the kids to more of that; it might scar them for life. Some of them might never date or get married based on Madam Moody. Hell, I might never get married based on her.

"Hector's apparently been like valium for her right now. You've seen it for yourself. He's the only one who is capable of even getting near her when she is about to blow. He seems to be able to bring her to some kind of 'normal', well normal for her. I know you have a thing for her, but Rangeman, this is not the time and place to get your nose out of joint.

"There is one bedroom that is still open and only has one bed, I think we should put them in there together. We need her calm, cool and collected; _you_ off balance her. We don't know how long we are going to be here and until her hormones get back to 'normal', I think it should be safety first."

Guessed they thought that my period made me deaf as well as cranky. I had heard the entire soliloquy and was trying to heed my inner Jiminy Cricket, for once. Jiminy was telling me that, "_All men are stupid. Men have no idea what women go through. Men are all pigs. You can forgive them because they don't know better. Since they don't know better, you can't expect them to do better_." OK, so Jiminy had a point and I was actually going to listen to him this time.

I decided to interrupt the conversation at that juncture. I just couldn't hold it in. So I said, "Bobby, I'm not that bad. My head hasn't spun all the way around my body yet this month. All of you still have your 'wedding tackle', or whatever else you want to call the 'family jewels', intact. And I haven't lit anything on fire other than the designated timber. If you think it is best for me to sleep with Hector tonight, I'm good with it if he is. I'll keep him safe and will return him to the fold unharmed. Promise."

"Babe," was all Ranger could say.

Yep, Ranger was the man with the one word answer or comeback to everything. I didn't even want to know what he meant by 'Babe' this time.

I called out, "Canelo, can you find our stuff? We are together again tonight."

All men really are stupid, they must be born that way. Why? Because he had a Lester style grin on his face and I didn't really want to know what put it there. He started going through the duffle bags and backpacks until he found our stuff. Damn, he seemed a little too pleased with himself and a little too anxious. This had the hallmarks of a very long afternoon and evening, at least for me.

Bobby had collected keys for each of the rooms and gave them to Ranger. Ranger unlocked each of the rooms and opened them. After he opened the room I was to share with Hector, he walked in and looked stunned. He didn't move and he didn't hear me when I came in behind him.

"Babe."

What? It was a nice room. Queen sized bed with lots of pillows, fireplace, a couple of overstuffed, wingback chairs. More glorious was that the room had the only private bathroom on the floor, complete with an oversized bathtub. It looked good to me and I wanted to test it to see if it felt as good as it looked.

"Ranger," I said not really knowing what he was going to say.

"Why can't I be your valium this weekend? Why does it have to be Hector? I'm going to have a hard time letting you sleep in here with him. I think I should sleep on the floor in here and make sure you don't hurt him," he whispered, his eyes were closed.

"Batman, I won't hurt him and he won't make any moves on me. It will be fine. There are little boys who need to be supervised who probably sleep walk and who will miss their own beds," I said as I came closer to him. I pulled his head down to mine until we were forehead to forehead. "The storm will be over tonight and then we will all return to our regularly scheduled lives, promise."

Tank chose that time to walk in and let his presence be known.

"Bomber, it is time for your chocolate break. Do I need to get you some Advil from the first aid kit?" Tank asked.

I moved away from Ranger, the moment was over, not that it had really gotten started.

"Tank, you are a god in your own right. Yes, please on the Advil. Since I am going to be in a room, can you ask Bobby if I can have the whole bottle? As to the chocolate, probably a good thing right about now," I said.

"Ranger, I know that you are going to leave all of the bedrooms that the kids are in open and unlocked, but I really want the key to this room for myself. I am planning on closing and locking the door. Not that anything is going to happen, but I have been really cranky and I don't want any unexpected visitors. Considering all things, I kind of want my privacy. You going to be OK with that?" I asked him, knowing that not having a key wasn't going to stop Ranger or even slow him down if he wanted in that room.

"If it's what you want, Babe," he said with enormous disappointment in his voice.

At some point during the exchange, Hector walked in with the bags. He was looking pleased at Ranger's obvious disappointment and shot Ranger a smug look. Great, looked like we were going to start the pompous, pretentious, alpha-male, posturing bullshit again and it wasn't even Wednesday night. Terrific, I could hardly wait to see how this round was going to turn out. Not.

It looked like a good time for me to make my own exit. Safety first and all that. I turned on my heel and said over my shoulder, "I'm going to see what is taking Tank so long with the Advil." It was a statement that neither man could argue with and so, of course, they didn't.

I was actually just fine at that moment, but they didn't need to know that. I was going to need to remember to pull the cramp and period thing the next time I didn't want to do surveillance.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Once again, there has been no exchange of money or permission. Some day, maybe …**_

_**No Merry Men or Boy Scouts were harmed in the creation of this chapter. Stephanie, on the other hand, could use a stiff drink.**_

_**Thanks to Jaime, Kate M and Melody for all their insight and inspiration – you ladies have made this a relatively pain free experience.**_

_**Melody - you were the inspiration for the knot tying section. I can't thank you enough. Afli**_

_It looked like a good time for me to make my own exit. Safety first and all that. I turned on my heel and said over my shoulder, "I'm going to see what is taking Tank so long with the Advil." It was a statement that neither man could argue with and so, of course, they didn't. _

_I was actually just fine at that moment, but they didn't need to know that. I was going to need to remember to pull the cramp and period thing the next time I didn't want to do surveillance. _

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 13 ****♣**** May The Trip Part 4**

Lester was setting up another stew like thing for dinner to feed all of us. I decided to give a hand. He sliced meat and vegetables like a professional; I only whacked at them with my knife. I gave up my attempts pretty quickly after looking at the disbelief on Lester's face. He had heard me talk about my lack of domestic skills but hadn't taken me seriously until the evidence was before him. Any one of the Boy Scouts had better knife skills than I did.

It was handy for us that we came with our own pots, pans, plates and utensils. There was no scrounging around for things we might need, we had them all and knew where they were. I was especially glad that we would have a warm kitchen to clean it all up in, that number of dishes could potentially take hours.

Bobby and Tank took the kids and started back to work on knots. Lester tended the kitchen and guarded the stuff in the pots. Ranger and Hector stayed in the kitchen with Lester. They were all talking in Spanish so it didn't matter if I was paying attention. One of these days I was going to have to take a class or something in Spanish so I knew what was going on around me.

I was sitting at the table twiddling my thumbs. I wasn't feeling nosy or snoopy, just tired and a little crampy so I sat at the table and ignored that the guys were even in the same room. Out of frustration and boredom, I finally put my head on my arms at the table, not a perfect nap situation, but it would do.

The owner's wife had come into the kitchen to check on all of us. Before she left I asked her if she could lend me a few bath things, and she knew exactly what I was wanting. It looked like I was going to be afforded some quality alone time. I could have hung out with the kids, but I knew that this was really a much better use of my time.

She came back in a little later with a small basket for me, it had: a new razor, some good shampoo and conditioner, bubble bath, a candle and a chocolate truffle. A goddess, the woman was an absolute goddess. She just knew exactly what I wanted and needed. I was beyond excited. The basket was absolutely perfect. I must have made some kind of a moaning sound when I popped the truffle in my mouth and let it work its magic on me.

"Babe," Ranger said a little strangled.

"Nena," Hector said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Beautiful," said Lester in a very similar voice to the others.

"Gentlemen, I know this is antisocial of me, but I don't really care. I am going to pretend it is Wednesday night and have a good time. _Alone_," I said the last word with emphasis. I couldn't help smiling. I wasn't really baiting anybody. I wasn't going to make an excuse for a bubble bath, I wanted one and one was available to me so I was going to take it.

"Ranger," I continued, "this is part of why I wanted the key to my room. I don't want to be interrupted by anyone. Canelo, do you need anything from the room before you get locked out?" Hector just shook his head, kind of like he was in shock.

"Beautiful, dinner will be in two hours. We will send up a search party for you if you're late," said Lester. I wasn't sure if he was kidding, or not.

The guys resumed their conversation after I left the kitchen. I climbed the stairs and opened the room. It really was kind of nice, and looked very _couply_. Too bad I wasn't part of a couple right now. Right now I was in the midst of a hormone fest and that really didn't count for much.

I had better things to think about than men and their games. I had a great tub at my disposal that provided the promise of whole body warmth, the prospect of clean clothes, clean hair and freshly shaven legs and other assorted bits. I was going to be good to me.

I opened my bags and pulled out the lacy undies, I'd had enough of the cotton granny panties, the camisole top and the coordinating lacy pushup bra, a clean shirt and jeans. The clothes and under-things I left to sit out on the bed, the makeup bag I was going to take into the bathroom with me. After I had everything set, I started the tub and made sure the bedroom door was locked.

Before I got into the tub, I locked the bathroom door, too. A girl can't be too careful. The tub was glorious on its own and the bubble bath was an added bonus. The bubble stuff was lavender and it was incredibly relaxing. I was able to shave everything that needed it and exfoliate the rest. I found myself humming the song from last night. I tried not to put a value on it, but the words were getting to me, '_I was alone. Filled with sadness. Everything I did just seemed to go wrong. Then you came along and ended my madness_.' I was flattered at the idea they would think of a song like that to sing to me. I guess it was better than '_I'm Henry the eighth I am. Henry the eighth I am, I am_,' that was the last song that had been sung to me, then again I was twelve at the time.

The bathroom had no clock of any kind and I didn't bring my watch in with me. I had figured that when I got pruney enough I would get out. Then start the rest of the beautification process.

I heard a low voice on the other side of the door. Crap. What was going on now? Before I could think too much about that, there was a light knocking on the bathroom door.

"Stephanie, you need anything?" It was Hector's voice.

"No, don't need anything. I'm just fine. Is time up already?" I asked.

"Almost, I didn't want anyone else to bother you. I know you wanted to be alone. You might want to come out soon."

"I'm almost done. I'll get out after I know you're gone," I said.

"I am leaving now," he said and I heard the outer door close.

I made a final quick rinse of my hair and got toweled off. Nice towels, but not great. I was just out of the bathroom when someone else came through the bedroom door, it was Tank. No knock, nothing. He must have expected I was still going to be in the tub.

Tank stood in the middle of the bedroom with something small in his hand and said nothing for a solid 30 seconds. I was getting impatient and was getting ready to say something, anything, even 'how's the weather?'

"Steph, just putting some chocolate on your bed for later," he said. He at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed about it.

"And?" I asked, still wet in the towel a small puddle beneath me on the floor had begun to form.

"And?" he asked back. His body seemed frozen in place, matching his eloquence. It was like he couldn't get over what I wasn't wearing. Hell, he had been two days without seeing Lula. His hormone quotient might be exceeding its regular capacity. God, I hoped he'd kept some chocolate for himself or we were going to have to brave the weather and get 'medication' for both of us.

"Tank, I think you need to get out so I can put my clothes on. I know you've seen me dressed in less for distractions, but this towel is not giving me a lot of confidence right about now. Thanks for the chocolate. I'll be down shortly," I said.

I decided to get dressed as quickly as I could to avoid another visitor. I was locking the door but that didn't seem to matter. The chairs where too bulky to move across the floor to block the door, I probably should have done it anyway.

I had just gotten the camisole on over the lacy bra when Bobby walked in. He hadn't even bothered to knock either; so much for avoiding another visitor. You'd think I hadn't locked the door he'd opened the door with such ease. I had locked it, hadn't I?

"Bobby, why is everyone so worried about my getting downstairs in time for dinner? That is why you are here, right?" I asked, putting one arm in a sleeve.

Sheesh. This was getting ridiculous.

Bobby said nothing. He was looking at the camisole, or more precisely me in the camisole and jeans.

"Eyes, Bobby, eyes. Please make eye contact here," I said and he did. "Thank you. Now what brings you up here? I still have," I looked at the clock on the bedside table, "five minutes."

"Never mind, Steph. Just checking on you," he said, "Also, wanted you to know the storm will probably have us here for two nights instead of for one."

'Great,' I thought. Aloud I said, "Please take a message to my fan club downstairs that I am almost ready to join the living again. Do we need to start calling the kids parents to let them know they are safe and well?"

"We would, but we don't have cell signal at the moment and the landlines are out. Ranger and I will drive to get a better location soon."

"What about internet possibilities? What about e-mail?" I queried as I finished putting on the shirt.

"Nope, those lines are down, too," he said sounding a little defeated.

"Hey, it'll get better. Besides, it's not like a search party has been sent out yet," I said.

"God, I hadn't even thought of that. Shit. That's just what we are going to need. I am going to have to see about getting out of here to a place where the phone lines are working and soon," he said rushing out the door.

I was back to the lovely feeling of being warm and happy with myself. No one was going to be worried about me. My folks had gone out of town for the weekend. Morelli found someone else while he had been out on assignment. One night months ago I had gotten a phone call, evidently she had already met the infamous Angie Morelli and there would be no scandal or gossip. I hadn't seen him in months and realized I wasn't missing him. What really surprised me was that I wasn't sad about that, not sad at all. Anyone who might be concerned about me right now was in this house, so I was covered.

My hair was still wet, I was barefoot, and my shirt was untucked, actually I was kind of a messy and under-done sexy. I headed back into the kitchen.

Another pow-wow except this time it was all the adults and not whispering this time. Hey! They hadn't waited for me! I walked in as I heard Bobby say, "Steph mentioned a potential search party for us because of the storm. We've got to get this thing handled now."

All of a sudden all eyes were on me. What? I was smiling, dressed, comfy, smelled good and felt happy. Had they expected the Bride of Chucky to come down the stairs or something?

"I was just telling the guys what you had said when you were getting dressed," Bobby said.

Here we go again. Back into 'bitch' mode, I really wasn't this bad most of the time. Honest.

'Your toes must really taste good, Bobby,' I thought to myself. 'You seem to be putting your foot into your mouth a lot this weekend.'

I took hold of myself and decided breathing was a good thing. A temper tantrum wasn't going to do any good for anyone, least of all me. I didn't even bother for Ranger to start in with the whole "Explain" thing again. I decided to just jump in, OK wade in – it was calmer than jumping right about now.

"Even though I had the door locked, it was Grand Freaking Central Station in there. I was just putting my shirt on over my camisole when Bobby came in. Mellow out Ranger," I said. I hadn't missed the fact that his patented blank look was aimed at me. I continued, "Good grief, _everyone_ who came into the room saw it lying on top of the bed along with all my other clothes, under and otherwise," I said.

The good mood in the room had rapidly evaporated. It wasn't my fault, really.

I decided to stare down the group, "What? It's white, it's lacy and it's pretty. I like how it feels against my skin, it makes me feel girlie. Plus it gives me an 'extra' layer of clothing for the cold. It covers pretty much everything except for my shoulders. Do we need to take a vote whether or not you all get to see it on?"

Lester was about to say something when I started up again. "By the way, seems that Canelo is the only one whose mother ever taught him to knock," I said.

Hector smiled at me, the rest of them looked like chastised children. Score one point to

'Bitch Stephanie'.

Bobby made some noise and finally the spotlight shifted from me to someone else. Thank heavens.

Bobby was afraid of where else I might take the conversation, so he started talking. "Anyway, like I was starting to say, we are going to start getting the kids showered for tonight. They have a big hot water tank here. But, we want to make sure that everyone has a chance to get warm and clean before they go to bed.

"Ranger and I are going to see about getting phone signal to call the office. If we can reach the office, then the control room will call all of the parents. We'll keep looking for cell signal until we find it or an available working payphone."

Lester said, "Speaking of the kids and dinner, it's time to round the kids up to feed them."

Half of the kids stood up in the kitchen to eat, the other half ate at the table. After the kids were fed, the adults ate at the table. This time the kids did the dishes and repacked them, but the stuff was kept in the kitchen for breakfast the next morning. The shower rotation thing started, the first six got their five minute showers in short order. The next batch of kids had to wait until the hot water heater had a chance to warm some more water.

The kids rough housed in the family room, Lester and Tank got to play referee, glad it wasn't me. It looked like I was going to continue to be the referee for the hormonally challenged and I needed to rest up.

A little while later, I heard Tank starting to laugh. He couldn't get hold of himself.

"It's not funny," I said. "It's really not funny."

"Having problems this evening, Steph," Tank asked.

"Yeah, big guy, I know it's a big surprise to you. I swear this isn't what it looks like."

"Really?" he asked, unable to keep the smile off his face and out of his voice.

I was sitting on a chair, trying to look calm, cool and collected. When I finally chilled out enough to answer. I said, "I know it may not seem like it, but there is a rational explanation. While you and Lester were rough housing with the kids, some of the others wanted to 'practice' their knot tying skills. Then they just left me here."

The first thing I had learned from being kidnapped was not to let them see you sweat. Unfortunately, this had nothing to do with being kidnapped, this had everything to do with merit badges. The boys were excited to practice their knot tying skills, but didn't want to untie their works of art. I was getting tired and cranky, plus the ropes were beginning to cut into my skin. I really didn't want to be in this position when Ranger and Bobby came back.

Tank's laughter was soon joined by Lester's. Neither of them could stop laughing, I was surprised they hadn't fallen over they were laughing so hard. Hector quietly got up from whatever he was doing at the time and released me. He seemed to be showing up in the right place at the right time a lot this weekend.

I decided I'd had enough of being a good sport, so I went to sit on the sofa curled up next to Hector. Our corner of the room was nice and quiet. I tried to pretend the rest of the room didn't exist. He began to massage my wrists for me absently, trying to get the circulation back. God, his fingers felt good.

Bobby and Ranger had been gone about two hours. Their mission, such as it was, had been accomplished. Bobby let Zero know where all of the phone numbers were for all the kids. The comm. room was going to call all the parents, it was easier that way. Ranger made sure that his empire hadn't crumpled in his absence and let them know that Zero would be in charge until we returned some time in the next day or two.

Since all the kids were now done with their showers, the guys each took their turns. My bathroom had been pressed into service with the kids and now with the guys. Ranger was the last to shower and he used my bathroom. As the host of the feast, such as it was, his shower wasn't timed and it wasn't interrupted by anyone. Normally when he showered he smelled like Bulgari when he got out, this time he smelled like lavender. Odd.

That was when the power went out.

Fortunately we were all in the living room at the time. Hector and I were still on the sofa suddenly joined by three kids who were squishing me. In order not to lose my seat entirely, I adjusted myself so I was on Hector's lap and in his arms. I got to keep warm, stay off the floor and besides it just felt good. Who was I to fight a good feeling every now and again?

The bed and breakfast had a propane furnace so we didn't lose heat, but there was no way to circulate the heat since the fans worked on electric power. We also lost light. The good Boy Scouts almost all had their mini LED flashlights in their pockets, so there was no immediate need for candles or lanterns.

The owners had a bunch of grandchildren and had planned to give us some Disney movie or another to watch with the kids, but that plan was now lost. There weren't enough chairs or tables to play the board games that were on hand, so Bobby went to his SUV and got out the guitar.

It looked like I was in for another night of music from the guys. They sang some of the same songs from last night. Not that I am at all snobby, but most the songs were not of the rip roaring variety. They all seemed to be quiet and acted like lullabies to me. I don't remember falling asleep, but I when I woke up I was still on Hector's lap and the room was dark and empty.

"What time is it?" I whispered.

"Late," he said as he kissed my forehead.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked.

"You look peaceful and beautiful when you sleep," he said quietly.

"We should probably go up and go to bed," I said as I struggled to get off his lap and out of his arms.

Hector's arms weren't letting me out of his grip very easily.

"Come on Buster, let's go," I said.

He let me go and followed me up the stairs. In the time it took me to reach into my pocket for the key, he had done some kind of jiggly thing with the doorknob and it was open. Why is it that everyone can do that except for me? Oh yeah, it's because keys keep honest people out and Hector hadn't always been an honest person. After we were inside, I relocked the door. It was the principle of the thing.

The power still hadn't returned, but because the curtains hadn't been pulled and there was a little moonlight seeping in so the room wasn't completely dark.

I went to my bags to dig for something else to sleep in, and found nothing acceptable. Hector went through his bags too and found a clean t-shirt. Wordlessly he handed it to me along with a flashlight. I took it and my toothbrush into the bathroom. There was no need to wash my face, I didn't have any make up on, just moisturizer. I did my thing in under two minutes and asked through the door if he was decent. He said that he was but needed to use the bathroom before getting into bed.

I came out in my undies and his t-shirt. His shirt landed at the top of my thighs in the front and barely covered my bottom in the back. I crawled into the side of the bed that was nearer to the bathroom. Seemed he and I were going to sleep on the same sides as the night before. Convenient.

He came out of the bathroom in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs and smelling good again. The man might be slender, but that didn't mean that he wasn't well muscled and, well, yummy in his own right. Hector just happened to hide all of those long, lean muscles under clothing that was way, way, too big.

He carried the flashlight back to the bed and got in. He leaned over to kiss me good night, like he kissed me this morning. Damn, my hormones were doing the samba and would have done the salsa, or even the evil bachata, if he kept this up.

I suddenly realized that his hands hadn't wandered but the rest of him had. I once again found myself under his body and was thoroughly enjoyed the feeling. I hadn't even realized I was running my foot up and down his leg and our bodies seemed to be moving in a slow gentle tempo together.

Shit.

It was beginning to feel very warm in here. If this kept up there would be no reason for blankets and we'd need to open a window.

"Canelo, you like men, don't you?" I asked when we had both come up for air.

"Sure. Te lo juro (I swear it to you)," he said as his lips came back down on mine. "Why?

Well, he'd just admitted he likes men, he had to be gay, right? If this was gay, I wondered what he would have been like if he was straight?

"Just checking," I said.

At that moment, I was so hormonal I didn't really care who I was next to in bed. The kissing and the moving started over. My hormones were approaching overdrive, if they weren't there already and I realized I was soon going to be losing any control I still had. Everything had picked up intensity pretty damned quickly.

I said, "Hey, we really need to go to sleep."

"Sleep later. Kissing now," he said in a very husky voice and he was getting ready to kiss me yet again.

"No, it would be better to sleep now. You need to get on your own side of the bed," I said with a sigh.

Reluctantly he rolled off me and to his side of the bed. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. The boy had rhythm and technique and I found myself wondering how his other techniques were. While I debated with myself about the current development I didn't realize he was moving my body back towards his, guess he wanted to spoon again.

"Still my side," he said with a smile.

Yes, he was still on his side of the bed but now I was there too. I was going to have to ask Bobby what he had been putting in the water, this was getting ridiculous. I was hot, bothered, and frustrated. I tried to get out of the bed so I could clear my head, but he wouldn't let me up.

"Please," I said.

"Why? I thought you wanted to be with me," he said sounding a little hurt.

Holy Mother, what did he mean by that? I decided I really didn't want to know. "I just want to get a drink of water, I'll be right back," I said.

I went into the bathroom wondering how I got here. Damn poker game. Despite Ranger's promises of additional poker games after the one on New Year's Eve, they never materialized.

I ran the water and took a sip. I got back into bed shivering a little. The house was heated but since no air from downstairs was circulating up here it was getting a little cool. And I had been hot not that long ago.

Hector had moved closer to the middle of the bed and wound up spooning me again. I was relieved that he didn't try to kiss my neck again because it was going to lead to more frustration and probably a visit from Ranger.

Eventually I got my heart rate under control and relaxed enough to fall asleep.

The power came on at about 2:00 am. And because no one had thought to turn off the switches when we initially lost power, lights and things were instantly back on. All of a sudden everyone in the whole house was awake. I saw the light on in the bathroom got up and turned it off. I came back in to see the overhead light on and Ranger and Hector glaring at each other. Again.

Ranger either had the worst, or the best, timing I had ever been subjected to. I wasn't getting any breaks at all this weekend.

"I wanted to make sure you'd made it up to bed. You looked pretty sacked out on the sofa," he said he said tightly. I know he noticed what I was wearing and what Hector wasn't. "Nice shirt, Babe."

"Thanks, I borrowed it from Hector. I didn't have anything clean I wanted to sleep in," I said simply while I was checking to make sure he couldn't see my panties. I was really hoping I wasn't going to continue to babble.

"I would have gladly given you the shirt off my back," Ranger said.

"By the time we got up here, I didn't know what room you were in and didn't want to wake you up. Besides, I've got this one broken in now. It's late and we all need to go back to bed." I said blithering. I had become not only the Czarina of Denial but I was also the Baroness of Babble and Duchess of Blither-dom.

"I'm on the floor in my room, I could join you two on the bed," he said with a wolfish smile.

"Thanks Ranger, but the bed's really not all that big. But you two can share and I can go back to the sofa downstairs," I said. I really didn't want to leave, Hector was a pretty good pillow and I wasn't so sure about losing that right now.

Hector hadn't gotten out of bed or said so much as a word. He had been watching the interaction between Ranger and me like it was a verbal tennis match. Finally he said something and, for the love of Mike, it was in Spanish and the tone was none too kind. Words that sounded a lot like 'adult' 'option' and 'decision' were being thrown around on both sides. Great. Ranger quietly stormed out of the room.

"I need to know. Are you his novia, his girlfriend?" he asked after Ranger left. He had asked calmly but he had been measuring every word, making them precise.

"I'm sure we are friends, but I'm not his girlfriend," I said. Why did variations on this theme keep coming up?

"Good. Ven aqui, nena," he said, just like this morning. It had to mean come here.

Damn, he was fast. He leaned over and the kissing thing started again, except this time he had was holding my hands over my head and my foot automatically started to do the up and down thing on his leg. I was blissfully unaware of my surroundings and thoroughly enjoying myself when I realized he had let go of my hands and he was trying to lift up my shirt. I put my hands over his to stop the upward progress. If I didn't stop his progress now, I never would and I wasn't sure how I felt about that either way. Better to stop while I still could.

"No, it's not right," I breathed.

"Sure?" he asked.

All I could do was nod my head. He rolled off then and kissed my forehead and nose. It was his turn to sigh. It was obvious Hector liked to spoon because we were shortly in that position yet again. He started rubbing small circles on my belly like last night. When his hands moved back under the shirt to keep doing the circles, I didn't stop him it just felt right somehow. I closed my eyes and started to breathe deeply and so did he.

I don't know how long it took me to fall asleep or how long I was asleep. But I woke up to answer Mother Nature's call and I realized I was alone in the bed. I wasn't so sure how I felt about that. I was sort of liking snuggling with Hector, and he was proving to be a pretty good kisser. I was going to go into "our" bathroom when I realized the door was closed and the shower was running.

Just my luck, I really needed to empty my bladder and I couldn't get into my bathroom. I had no idea how long he usually took in the shower and I didn't know how long he'd even been in there.

I opened the bedroom door and peeked outside. No one was in the hall, so I could make the journey without flashing anybody, do my business and go back to bed.

I made it to the bathroom just in time; no line, no crowd, just me.

Relief. Blessed relief.

Relief until I left the sanctuary of the bathroom and promptly ran into Bobby.

"What are doing down here wearing Hector's clothes, Bomber," he stage whispered. He was wearing a pair of old comfy looking sweats.

"My bathroom was occupied is why I'm down here. It's really none of your business why I'm wearing his clothes. But for the record, I don't like sleeping naked. Don't give me any grief Bobby. I am going to go back to my room so I can go back to bed," I said.

"Babe," came the voice of my impending doom. I had been caught unaware of my surroundings yet again and this time by Ranger. He was just wearing a pair of sweat pants and was looking like he might make a nice midnight snack for some very lucky girl.

"Ranger, we went through this earlier. It was easier to use one of his shirts than come take one of yours. And for the record, I didn't want to sleep in the clothes I had worn all day. Am I going to have to wake up Tank and Lester and tell them I don't like to sleep naked since we evidently have no privacy here regarding me and my life?" I asked in my own stage whisper.

A door opened, not my luck. It was Hector standing there with damp hair wearing just his boxer briefs. We were going back to the alpha male stuff, again I could just tell. This time with an audience. This was such a happy thing to be doing in the middle of the night. Not.

We stood in the hallway all looking at each other. Ranger and Hector didn't even blink, they kept staring at each other.

"Bobby, what time is it?" I finally asked. He was the only one of us with a watch.

"It is not quite 4:00 am, Steph. I was going to get up around 7:00 and check the weather to see if we could head out this morning. Then I was going to get the kids up," he said.

I tugged on the front of the shirt to make it as long as possible while I walked backwards down the hall and said, "Somebody wake me up when you decide to get the kids up." I had just finished the sentence when Hector's hand grabbed mine. He pulled me into the room and locked the door.

Oh boy.

_A/N – Herman and the Hermits – I'm Henry the VIII_

_They go home next chapter, it will remain … interesting…. Alfonsina_


	14. Chapter 14

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. No visible scars on any of the Merry Men, tranquilizers will be provided to Steph upon demand when she gets home, etc...**

**Thanks to Jaime, Kate Manoso and Melody – you ladies have given me hope and inspiration that I might actually expand my own horizons.**

_I walked backwards down the hall and said, "Wake me up when you decide to get the kids up." I had just finished the sentence when Hector's hand grabbed mine and he pulled me into the room and locked the door._

_Oh boy._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 14 ****♣**** May The Trip Part 5**

We stood just inside the door.

"Por que me dejaste? Why'd you leave me?" he asked. Damn, his voice was low and slow and sounded like it had a coo in it.

What the hell did he mean by that? I didn't leave, I went to the bathroom.

"I had to tee-tee. I mean, I had to go to the bathroom," I said, "and you were in the shower."

"It would have been OK," he said with a gentle smile.

"Not ready to share that with you, OK?" I said. He looked confused so I tried again, "I like to be alone for that."

"Come to bed? Please?" he asked.

I nodded.

I took a detour by way of the bathroom. I decided to get rid of my dragon breath first since it appeared he had vanquished his own. He was warm, comfy, and he smelled good. I did notice that despite the shower he had taken, the bathroom didn't feel warm and steamy. Interesting.

Once I was back on the bed, he leaned in to start the whole kissing thing over, but I changed my mind and backed away. This was confusing and frustrating. My hormones were loving it and so was most of my body, but my head was having major issues. For someone who said so openly he was 'gay', he'd been here in bed holding me, kissing me and making me forget everything but him and how good his body felt next to mine. I wasn't so sure I was going to make it until Bobby came to 'wake me up' after 7:00.

I whispered "No."

I rolled onto my side and tried to go to sleep; it didn't work.

"Nena, que tienes? What's the matter?" he asked, the voice was even more of a coo than I'd heard from him before. Crap, it sounded kind of sexy. In fact, his voice was sounding more and more sexy; this was not good. Under other circumstances, his voice by itself could have melted my panties right off of my body. It seemed the longer we were together, the sexier his voice was becoming. Was this a trick of my imagination, my hormones or some plot I was unaware of?

"Nothing," I said. I couldn't very well tell him that if I knew we hand condoms and we were alone, or if the locks actually worked, we would be doing the horizontal mambo based strictly on his ability to kiss, the way he smelled and how I forgot everything around me when he touched me anywhere.

Damn it.

I wasn't in the market for a one night stand; casual sex of any kind actually. I wanted a committed relationship before sex became an issue. I was feeling overwhelmed.

Joe and I had had sex way too early in the relationship and it was all that held us together for years. Ranger and I had only been together for the one fabulous night, and we knew each other better than Joe and I did, sort of, but it hadn't gone anywhere either.

Besides Hector had told me that he was gay. Lovely, I am sexually attracted to a gay man who could never be a long term possibility for me. That's me in a nutshell, always choosing Mr. Unavailable.

He was there whenever I needed him, for whatever I needed. I couldn't let things go any further because I would probably lose the friendship with him that I did have. Real friends, good friends were too hard to come by.

All I could think was that I was probably just a convenience or some kind of a great experiment. How long would he be interested when he realized my 'equipment' wasn't what he really thought he wanted? If I actually could keep him for any period of time, how will I be able to compete with the men who would by vying for his attention? I competed with other women just fine for men's attentions, I didn't always win but I could compete. I was way out of my league when it came to competing for a man with men.

So, here I was in bed with another man who was unavailable to me for lots of reasons; non-traditional reasons, but reasons nonetheless. I was doing everything in my powers not to let my body win this stupid war with my head.

God this was hard.

If he was questioning his sexuality, he needed to ask someone else. I couldn't help him answer his questions. Someone else would need to do that.

Part of my brain thought that I could deal with another bad morning after. The other part of my head knew it would be too much to take. The gossip about it would be too much to bear, 'Stephanie doesn't find straight men enough of a challenge, so she tried to convert a gay one.' 'If you were looking to experiment, I've got some experiments you'd love to be a part of.' Crap like that. I would be the butt of Rangeman jokes for months to possibly years to come.

I hated being me.

As I was thinking about all of this and more, my eyes began to leak and then my nose began to run. I wasn't crying, honest, just stupid leaking eyes and runny nose. Ok tears yes, crying _maybe,_ sobbing no. Definitely not sobbing.

Hector didn't miss much. He put his hand on my shoulder and rolled me on to my back so I could look him in the eyes. He was raised up on his elbow looking down on me.

"Something is wrong," he said.

Mr. Observant was in bed with me and figured out something was wrong.

Brilliant.

"Nope. Nothing is wrong. Sometimes my eyes just water if I am tired. Let's just go to sleep OK? Morning will be here soon," I said. I knew he wasn't buying it, but it was the only thing I could come up with. Again with the planning ahead thing, it would have been nice but it was too late for that now.

He didn't believe me, but he let it go and didn't press the issue. I closed my eyes again and tried to do the whole deep breathing thing.

He rolled me so that I had my head on his chest and he could rub my back. He whispered some things into my hair. I have no idea what he said and I don't know how long he kept rubbing my back.

The next time I opened my eyes, they felt puffy and blood shot, his chest was damp and his eyes were open.

"Want to talk?" he asked.

"Not this morning, sorry," I said. This wasn't something I wanted to talk with anyone about anytime soon. I wanted to deny everything that had been going on and talking about it wouldn't help me deny one damned thing.

"Want to talk to Ranger?" he asked, not getting the hint.

"No. I don't want to talk to him either. I'm going to take a shower. Do you need to use the bathroom first?" I asked. I needed to get a little physical separation to get my body back under control.

"I'm OK. There's another bathroom," he said.

I took a quick shower, and yes, the room was steamy when I got done. I got myself toweled off and redressed for bed and climbed back into bed.

I tried to lie down on my own side of the bed, honest, but found myself turning so I could lie on my side facing him and just be held.

Hector must have figured out that was what I wanted because he scooted over towards me and just put his arm loosely around my waist after I put my head on his shoulder. Thank God there was no kissing this time. My mind was relieved that I didn't have to make a choice, but my body was rebelling. My body was still wanting to pull Hector on top of me or crawl on top of him for more of those slow, sensuous kisses and more. A lot more.

I don't think either of us slept.

There were two quick knocks on the door and then Ranger came in. Looked like Ranger had been paying attention yesterday about the whole knocking thing. He still wasn't waiting for an answer though. I was grateful it wasn't yesterday. The body language today was much less intimate but still very friendly. He took one look at me and then one at Hector and immediately started off in Spanish in a very angry tone. It was my turn to watch the verbal tennis match.

"Babe," Ranger said, "what's going on? Your eyes are blood shot and your nose is red. Did he do anything or say anything to you since I saw you last night?" He was looking directly at Hector while he was talking to me.

"Sheez, Ranger. Can't a girl get hormonal once in a while? This weekend has been kind of overwhelming and it got the better of me. Canelo has been a gentleman," I said, mentally crossing my fingers, "and hasn't done one thing to make me cry."

While I had been talking, I sat up in bed with my arms holding my knees. Hector read my body language and sat up, too.

"Has someone else?" Ranger asked. Cripes, he was in over-protective mode this morning.

"No. No one has done anything, I promise. But this weekend has all been a little bit much, you know? I mean first it was camping, which by itself would have been enough to overload me. Then there was my upending in the stream. We can't any of us forget that Aunt Flo is here. And the cherry on top was the snowstorm followed by a power outage. I had kind of expected to be home and waking up in my own bed this morning."

It must take considerable energy to keep up that damned blank face, because he hadn't even tried to put it on this morning. So there we were, the three of us, me hormonal and upset, Ranger in very pissed off mode, and Hector trying to keep up with the conversation and stay out of the line of fire. In all fairness to Hector, he didn't deserve me getting hormonal and he didn't need to have to deal with Ranger's BS either.

Then we were back to the verbal Spanish tennis match. Again. They got done and Ranger's face hadn't changed but Hector looked relieved. Ranger must have explained my explanation to Hector somewhere along the line.

"Babe, it's almost 7:15. We are getting everybody up now. According to the weather report, the roads should be cleared enough for us to get back on the road before 10:00. The kids need to be fed and the vehicles need to be repacked. You going to be OK with that?"

"Of course, I'll be OK. I just had a bad night. How long until oatmeal, or is it scrambled eggs this morning?"

"French toast this morning and about 15 minutes," he said. He knew I loved French toast. He must have talked to Lester or Bobby about it earlier.

"We'll be down in time for breakfast, promise."

Ranger was almost ready to leave when he spotted the long, wide blood stain in the middle of the bed. He looked at it and just sighed as he said, "Anything between you and Hector I need to know about?"

I hadn't noticed the stain on the sheets, so I needed to be clued in. When it was pointed out to me, I gasped.

"Explain."

"Nothing to explain, Ranger. Looks like my tampon's been leaking and I need to change it. I should strip the sheets so I can work on the stain before it sets. It happens to me all of the time. God must just hate me or he just doesn't want me to ever sleep on white sheets. You've seen my sheets, all of them have patterns for a reason. Can you leave now so I can get things started?" I asked, now I was becoming cranky pants.

Ranger and Hector did another of those stupid verbal volleys. When it was over Ranger was looking like he was sucking lemons again and Hector was, well I can't say pleased so much as relieved. Again hearing the words that sounded a lot like 'adult' 'decision' and 'option' came up. At least I didn't think I was hearing 'mia' (mine) being thrown around anymore. Maybe it was OK that adult was being used. We were all adults, right?

One of these days I'd have to learn Spanish just so I'd know what was being said about me.

When Ranger left, I tried to get off the bed. I was fiercely hoping that I wasn't going to leak all the way to the bathroom.

Hector was pulling me to him, he whispered, "That was the problem last night, right?"

"Sort of," I mumbled.

"More than that?" he asked.

I nodded. "Can we talk about it later?"

He agreed and let me go. I went into the bathroom and took care of my business and came out to find Hector stripping the sheets from the bed. He had folded the fitted sheet in such a way as the stain was on top and would be easily treatable. The folded bundle was lying on top of the bed, the rest of the linens and bed things were tossed on to the floor.

Hector turned his back to me and started pulling on the clothes he had on yesterday.

I hadn't thought to take my clothes into the bathroom with me. My modesty was no longer much of a concern at that moment. The man may not have seen it all but he had definitely felt pretty much all of it.

I chose to put my clothes on from the day before. I left Hector's shirt on as I started with the socks and the pants. I was pretty much re-dressed from the waist down. I had no idea what state of dress Hector was in because I hadn't snuck any peeks his direction. I was fighting to keep control of myself, all aspects.

I didn't think that I would need to loosen his shirt and leave it draped over my chest to put the bra on. Nope. I had just whipped the shirt off over my head and dropped it onto the floor when I thought I was going to keep my some privacy and dignity in tact. I was wrong.

No sooner had the shirt hit the floor when there was a single knock on the door as it was being pushed open. No pause, no "are you decent," no "can we come in", nothing, just two bozos storming in and getting a free show. I shrieked and made an attempt to cover my chest with my hands.

Hector raised his voice and said simply, "Out" to Lester and Bobby.

I closed my eyes as I heard voices saying "Shit, man couldn't you have waited for an answer?" "Ranger's gonna kill you" and "Who's worried about Ranger? Man, she's gonna find the knives in the kitchen and use them on us."

I had immediately turned my body so I was facing the back wall and hoped no one else could see anything when Ranger and Tank burst in. Great the Calvary had come and they were late.

"Babe, you OK?" Ranger asked.

"Ah, Steph," began Tank.

Hector said again, "Out. Everyone out."

"Bobby, is there a merit badge for manners? Because if there is, you need to give yours back and think about re-earning it. Now the only people who have a right to be in here slept in here. If you don't answer to the name of either Hector or Stephanie, you need to get the hell out!" I ground out.

Thus began the exodus from the room. The door was finally closed. Hector shoved a bunch of stuff in front of the door to slow down anyone else who might try to come in. I noticed that Hector had gotten about as far in his dressing as I had. From the waist down he was covered but no shirt on yet. I hadn't re-attempted the bra or anything else.

I had nothing to be angry at Hector for but I was furious with the rest of them. I was so angry my entire body was shaking. I hadn't even gotten my breathing back under control.

Hector came over and stood behind me, put his arms just below mine and his head on my shoulder and started to rock me. It felt comforting and nice until we heard someone else try to get into the room. "Out," Hector growled at whoever it was. He was magic at soothing my raw nerves. After a couple of minutes he moved away, he pointed and said, "Clothes."

He put on a couple of under layers and finally a flannel shirt. I got the bra on, camisole and 'my' borrowed flannel shirt. I folded his shirt and went to hand it to him. He shook his head.

"Keep it. Please," he said.

"Sure?" I asked. He nodded back at me and smiled.

"Better now?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks," I said softly.

He moved closer to me and held me again. It was soft, it was easy and it was comfortable. I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed deeply. I don't know how long we stood there, breathing and standing. I was enjoying just his touch but was craving more. I moved my head from his shoulder and looked into those light brown eyes; he looked straight into mine.

I was feeling like he was a snake charmer and I was the snake.

He looked like he was just getting ready to kiss me when Lester forced his way into the room.

What was it about this place that meant anyone and everyone could come into the bedroom? Did no one have manners anymore? Did no one have any respect for privacy? Was I going to have to call manners expert Emily Post to do a seminar at Rangeman?

Hector's eyes didn't leave mine as he said, "Leave." Hector didn't like to be interrupted no matter what he was doing, I guess. He'd had more than his fill of interruptions and intrusions last night and this morning. So had I.

Lester didn't waste time in English; he wanted his point to be clear to Hector. Lester wasn't going to leave us alone any time soon. Evidently he was the designated search party. Lucky me.

"Beautiful, what's going on?" he asked. "It seems like I keep catching you two in some pretty tight clenches. This is the second really interesting position I've seen in the last two days. I'm not counting the fact you sat in his lap all night last night. You know what you're doing?"

Neither of us had moved from where we had been standing. I put my head back on Hector's shoulder before I spoke.

"Right now I think I am being held by a friend, Lester. I think he is trying to keep me from going off on you and Bobby. I think that he's trying to ensure my good mood," I said sarcasm dripping from my voice. "Why? What do you think I'm doing?"

Lester looked like he had been waiting for this opportunity. Lovely, just lovely. He stalked over to me so he could say directly into my ear, "Actually Steph, it looks to me like you're playing with fire."

That got my attention. That couldn't be right. Could it? I mean, if this was meaning what I thought Lester meant I was going to have to look for starch on sale for my mother, then look for a new job and a new apartment.

Fricking nuts. I really wanted to cry.

I eased what had become like a death grip on Hector. That's not to say I wasn't still holding him on to him, but now he wasn't so much the lifeline he had become.

Hopping back on the magic bus to Denial Land, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, "So have I missed breakfast or what?"

Lester laughed, "Nope, we fed the kids oatmeal first. Bobby and Ranger wanted to make sure the adults got something different this morning. I have it soaking but it needs to be made," he looked at his watch, "five minutes ago. Come on you two, let's go."

This time I didn't argue.

Lester wasn't budging from his spot, so I led the charge down the stairs followed by Hector. Lester brought up the rear. Lester didn't want to let me out of his sight. You'd think he we were a couple of sixteen year olds and he'd caught us necking on the living room sofa after curfew or worse.

The kitchen smelled glorious, it was a combination of cinnamon, coffee and the French toast. Oh my. I didn't even have to eat anything. Just standing in the doorway of the kitchen taking in the smells, I closed my eyes moaned. Loudly. Several times.

"Killing me here, Babe," Ranger said by way of good morning.

"Sorry about that. Morning guys," I said. I was not feeling sorry in the least. If I could make them at all uncomfortable, it was worth it right now. They'd all made me uncomfortable at various times this weekend, it was their turn.

I smiled broadly at everyone in the room.

"This smells absolutely amazing. Les, since you've been our cook this weekend, and an amazing one at that, how is it that you haven't caught a girl with your superior culinary skills?" I asked.

"Steph, I don't need to use my 'superior culinary skills' to catch a woman. I have what nature gave me, my charm and my natural good looks," he said in the radio announcer voice.

"Whatever you need to believe Lester."

I sat between Bobby and Tank. I didn't want to have to make a choice sitting between Hector and Ranger and start something between us that would have an even broader audience than last night. At this point everyone knew about the Alpha Male Posturing Bullshit, but I wanted to keep any remaining shows to a minimum.

Breakfast was just as good as it smelled. Because Lester and Bobby had been so intrusive this morning, I decided to be as loud in my appreciation of the food as possible. If a couple of the guys also suffered with it, oh well. It wasn't much for revenge, Ok it was the easiest revenge I could come up with on the spot and there would be no dead bodies involved. Besides I could honestly say it wasn't 'intentional'; if any of them ate with me much at all they knew it happened all of the time.

"After we eat, we need to get the rigs loaded," Bobby said in a strangled voice. "I'm going to make sure the boys get their gear downstairs in a few minutes. Steph after the kids empty their rooms, do you mind double checking them to make sure they got everything?"

"Will do."

Obviously being highly organized is part of the keys of being a successful Boy Scout, because it took no time whatsoever for the guys to get their stuff outside and sorted to appropriate vehicles. Tank and Ranger stripped all the beds and put on clean sheets. Lester cleaned the kitchen. Bobby kept the kids out of trouble. Hector helped me to check the rooms to make sure no one left anything behind.

According to our local weather man, also known as Bobby, it was supposed to clear and warm up this morning. He didn't see any reason for us to wait so, the convoy was organized.

I was going to ride with Ranger. Lester and Hector were together. Bobby and Tank were driving 'alone' meaning no other adults in the vehicle.

Before we took off, Tank took me aside and pressed a small package into my hands. Tank was acting as my guardian angel; too bad he hadn't protected me from Lester and Bobby this morning. Well, I guess he was protecting Ranger and me from my moods by providing medication in the form of dark brown, sweet, goodness known to the rest of the world as chocolate.

"Tank, you are so thoughtful. Thank you," I said.

"I just want to make sure Ranger survives the ride home," he said with a wink.

Jerk. But I can forgive any jerk who is bearing chocolate, well mostly.

The vehicles were loaded, the kids settled in and we hit the road, convoy style again. Seemed that I was always in the vehicle that brought up the rear. At least the kids had plugged in their iPods again so there wouldn't be any unnecessary fighting in the back.

Ranger couldn't get in his 'zone' this morning and I was trying hard not to twiddle with stuff. But now Ranger was fidgeting with all of the controls and acted like he couldn't get comfortable. So not the 'in control' man I knew. Ranger never fidgeted. Not once. Again this was just odd.

Finally he looked over at me and let out a sigh.

"Something on your mind, babe?" I asked him in a teasing tone.

"I'm thinking I shouldn't have let Bobby have this first weekend with you. I should have guarded my time, our time; it would have protected you from those bozos. I'm also thinking that you're horizons have probably been stretched to the breaking point right about now. I am sorry about that, Babe. I really am," he said letting out another sigh.

"You couldn't have done anything about it. Bobby wanted to do his regular spring time trip and needed adults. He had never planned on my clumsiness or my hormones. No one had planned on the weather. I think my horizons just need a couple of days without having to deal with all the guys, you know?" I said.

He took my hand into his and started rubbing it with his thumb. He just smiled. It was a soft gentle smile.

"Ranger, do you want me to drive, you are looking pretty tired. Did you sleep at all this weekend?" I asked.

He didn't answer initially, just kept rubbing his thumb on my hand.

Finally when he spoke it was very quiet. His voice was just above a whisper, but it had an edge to it as he said, "Not much. I slept better before I gave you and Hector blankets the first night. The image of you sleeping so closely to him burned into my brain. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it. And I kept hearing him ask you not to go, that corked it for me. I've heard my own voice wanting to say the same things to you. Last night I slept a little while you two were on the couch, but not much after you got to the room and not at all after I saw you in the hallway."

Ranger was jealous. Apparently very jealous.

I tried as hard as I knew how to be quiet and not to fidget. I didn't want to know to what level Ranger's frustration and jealousy would take him/us. I was also grateful that he didn't ask what had happened behind that closed door, I really didn't want to have that conversation with anyone.

"I don't see how you survive sleeping on the ground all the time when you do missions and stuff," I said changing the subject some.

"We don't go as often as we used to. Besides we are so tired it wouldn't matter what we sleep on or where," he said.

We drifted into silence for a while.

"You were a good sport this weekend, Babe. I just think someone needed to tell you that."

I was in my own zone and just squeezed his hand and closed my eyes.

"I am just hoping the guys have all had enough of me for a little while. Can you talk to the boss and see if he's OK with me taking a day off to get over this trip? Then 'May' can officially begin."

"I think I can arrange for that. Later today, Bobby's going to have a meeting with the guys to review the trip and see what they might do differently this summer. I don't think you necessarily want to go to that meeting, do you?"

"Can I get a pass on that too?" I asked.

"Sure. Sensitivity isn't a big deal with us, it wasn't all that important in the past. Privacy has never been strong with us either. When we have been in combat mode both sensitivity and privacy are luxuries that we can't afford. When we are in the woods or are outside of Trenton, all of us go back into combat mode, it's just training. I'll have a talk with all the guys; probably time to retain some things."

"Thank you," I said.

He brought the hand he was still holding to his lips and kissed it. Maybe all was going to be right in my world after all.

We rode the rest of the way in silence. OK, we were silent but the kids got bored with their iPods and started making themselves known; we just ignored them.

We did the convoy thing almost all the way to Trenton. Ranger called Bobby and told him he would drop off the convoy and be to the office soon.

Ranger broke the silence with me shortly after that.

"Babe, do you want me to drop you off at your place first? We can leave your bags and have one of the guys can drop them off with your car off later. What do you think?"

Wow. Choices. Ranger seldom if ever gave me choices, usually it was which rock did I want to sit on during surveillance. It didn't take me long to decide.

"Home, please," I said quietly.

Ranger called someone and said, "Bags and car to her place early this afternoon. Knock or call before you bring the bags in. Yes, new rules, respecting her privacy. Make sure she answers the door to you." That was it. I had no idea who he was talking to, but at least I would hear a knock on my door today. I had never thought a knock would be such a lovely sound.

We got back to my building and the kids seemed to return to the land of the living. Ranger told them he would be back shortly, and walked me up to my place. After he did the regular checking for attack dust bunnies, he let me in.

"Get some rest. Talk to you soon, Babe," he said. He gave me a soft, gentle, clingy kiss and then left.

I went into the bedroom, pulled off my shoes and the extra layers and crashed. I was out for the count.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I thought that if I ignored it long enough, it would go away. Eventually it did, but then it was replaced by a knock on the door. I decided to ignore that, too. I wasn't really expecting anybody and whoever it was could just come back. The phone began to ring again, I ignored it. And then there was a persistent knocking on the door that was so loud it sounded like the door was going to break apart.

I got off the bed and staggered to the door. "What do you want?" I asked the door using my 'I'm annoyed with whoever you are' voice.

"Steph I've got your stuff. Open up," came Lester's voice.

"Keep your shirt on. I'll be there when I get there," I cranked at him. I was very tempted to start a pot of coffee, go to the bathroom and brush my teeth just to see if I could keep him waiting at the door.

In the end, I caved. I was beyond peeved at Lester for his recent comments and behaviors, but I decided I was the better person. Besides, I didn't want my neighbors calling the police that there was some crazy pounding on my door looking to get in.

I opened the door and let him pass. Lester said, "Where do you want these?"

"Down is good, there isn't much in them," I said.

Lester didn't believe me and walked into my bedroom and put them next to the bed. Hadn't this man heard about privacy or limits yet?

"Lester didn't your mother ever teach you about boundaries? When I said 'down is good' I kinda meant in the living room. I didn't think you'd be ballsy enough to go into my bedroom uninvited."

"Hey, I took you at your word, you didn't seem to have a preference and I thought I'd save you the extra work. Sorry to have offended you," he snorted.

"Les, it's past time to be blunt. What the hell is going on with you? First you try to bait Ranger and me. Then you keep acting like something is going on with Canelo, and _we both know nothing can be going on with him. _And," I was picking up steam and I knew it, I think he did, too.

Before I could get any further, Lester stopped me.

"Steph, do you know why I am the one to drop off your bags and car?"

I looked at him and shook my head.

He went on, "We need to talk."

He did not just say that. _He did not just say 'we need to talk'_. Nothing good ever comes from those words, at least not in my world. Shocked I would hear my least favorite words coming from his lips. I just nodded my head.

"Steph, you are wrong about something and it is something big."

"OK. I can deal with that. I have practice at being wrong. I am wrong all of the time. What's new about that?" I asked.

"Canelo isn't who you think he is, or any of us think he is. Shit, I don't want to tell you, he should. I want you to know before the next time you see him so you can reevaluate things for yourself."

Lester did the oddest thing, he sat down and closed his eyes. It looked like he was counting to some high number or something.

'What couldn't Lester tell me? What was so wrong? Is Hector a drug dealer? Is he into kiddie porn? Is he a cross dresser? What could be so awful that Lester has his eyes closed in order to regroup?' I thought to myself.

"No, it's none of those things," he said.

I must have been thinking out loud again.

"Don't keep me hanging here. Is it worse than those things?" I asked. I thought, 'God, I am not ready to hear the answer to this. I am not prepared for any kind of bad news.'

"Steph, he's straight."

Oh God.


	15. Chapter 15

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. Visible scaring has been kept to a minimum but emotional scaring is going to be significant, for a while.**

**Thanks to Jaime, Kate Manoso and Melody – you ladies have continued to give me hope and inspiration. Some day I'll have the story telling skills you all do, I can only hope.**

_**Luisa, my Miami Babe, thanks for making this much more plausible, credible, believable, and any other blah-blah-blah-able, too. It wouldn't have been nearly as good without you and your help. **_

"_Steph, he's straight."_

_Oh God._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 15 ****♣**** The Confession**

'Straight. Canelo is straight? That can't be right. I'd asked him over the weekend if he was gay and he said "yes, very, very gay." I had heard him say it and so had Ranger. He had told me outright that he was gay. I'd even asked if he liked men and he said that he did. What the hell is this straight business about?' I thought. I mean he had mumbled some other stuff afterwards, but the important thing was the 'gay' word, right?

Lester, who was normally a joker and ready with a smile wasn't smiling now. "He and I drove back to Trenton together today. It seemed all he wanted to do was to talk about you. He's confused about what's going on and thinks you might have a miscommunication. I have no doubt that there's a miscommunication and in the extreme," he told me.

Miscommunication, no shit.

My head reeled and my knees buckled before I collapsed into the sofa. I shoved my head between my knees and tried to breathe but it wasn't working. I was making a valiant effort. It was hard to breathe when there was no air in the room; it had all been sucked out when Lester said those two little words, 'he's straight'.

There was no way I could get my head around this. It just wasn't possible. I had been confused before, but this was beyond the pail. Oh dear God.

Ranger used to joke about me 'playing with fire'. If he only knew how close to the fire I'd been playing or how much heat I'd felt. If I'd had even the smallest clue about Hector, I would have slept on the floor or sofa or bathtub or something. I definitely wouldn't have slept in the same bed with him.

I decided to go to my best and closest friend, Denial, for support. No doubt I'd spent a lot of time with Denial this past weekend, but now I needed the support of Denial desperately.

"You know, Les, a lot of gay men have women friends. And they do things together, go places, travel the world together even. I have a friend whose best 'girlfriend' is named Alan. They do everything except go to the bathroom together; they even sleep in the same bed sometimes and nothing happens," I said. 'Please God, let him be looking to be my newest girlfriend,' I was thinking.

"Beautiful, I wish I could help you with this part, but I just can't. He _is_ interested in you and it isn't to be your buddy. He's been planning on asking out for a while now," he shrugged. "I guess we've all been 'confused' about him being 'gay'. Before you ask, no he isn't and has never been bi-sexual, I checked. Now I really hate to tell you the next part."

Oh God, what else could there possibly be?

"He's waiting in the parking lot to talk to you. Do you think you can do that?"

No. I would never be able to have this talk with him. I would never again be able to look him in the eyes. I had just sort of planned to pretend that what did or didn't happen between us this weekend didn't happen at all. I was going to wipe the whole weekend out of my memory banks. Why couldn't I just melt into the floor? Better yet, was now a good time to move some place secluded like a glacier somewhere?

"Sure. Now's good," I said. I may as well rip the Band-Aid off now. It won't matter if it's done now or later, it'll hurt all the same and someone would probably wind up bloody if when it was pulled off.

Lester got his cell phone out of his pocket and made a quick call. In less than two minutes, Hector was knocking on my door; that was when Denial was ripped away from me and I had to check for blood.

I opened the door and did the regular kiss on the cheek thing. I made sure his lips didn't go beyond the cheek. I led him to the sofa so we could both sit down.

"Lester, you can probably go now," I said not trying to be subtle. I didn't think I could do this with an audience. God knows I didn't want a witness of any kind.

"No, I think that initially you might want me here so you get the whole story and there are no more misunderstandings," Lester said. At least he had the good grace about him to look uncomfortable about it.

The two men looked at each other. They did the ESP thing. Hector nodded and then Lester started to talk.

"It's like this. You remember that he was in college before he wound up in the US, right?" I nodded so he continued. "Canelo's first language is Spanish and he's well read, so his vocabulary in Spanish is very extensive. I mean I can communicate in it really well but wind up speaking Spanglish with family and Ranger. Ranger speaks Spanish better than I do, but we've never lived in the culture full time, we've just kinda played tourist – ya know? And you would never mistake our grammar or pronunciation as that used by someone of his background and education."

Ok. What the hell did that have to do with the price of tea in China anyway?

"When Canelo decided to get his shit together and work for Rangeman, he spoke very little English and looked words up all of the time. You know how there are lots of ways in English to say 'happy'?" Lester asked.

Both men were wearing pained expressions. I could almost hear the next words before they were spoken. I did the bobble head doll thing again, so Lester continued, "He was looking for a words that meant, content, light hearted, overjoyed, you know really happy. He didn't find what he wanted in the Spanish/English dictionary, so he got an English thesaurus out and looked up happy. He liked the looks of 'gay', it was short and to the point and easy to say. He knew that it _**could**_mean homosexual, but he didn't think it was _**only**_used now with that meaning. He thought it was still used, at least some, for the old meanings, too, so he didn't think about it anymore."

"Besides, in Spanish there is more than one verb for 'to be'. Any way, one of them use for stuff that won't change like 'are you Hungarian' and the other is used for stuff that changes like 'where are you?' and 'how are you?' Anyway, he was thinking you were using the 'to be/are' that's for stuff that changes. So when you asked 'are you gay' question he really thought you were asking if he was happy or 'gay' _at that moment_. Because whenever he is with you he is definitely thinking heterosexual thoughts."

"Oh God," I said. I was still breathing and I didn't have to have my head between my knees to do it. OK, we'll get past this.

"Anyway, he has used 'gay' instead of 'happy' for a couple of years now because the questions always seemed to be about his state of mind, not about his preferences, you know?. Besides, after he answered that he was gay, people quit asking him questions, he was good with that. For the record, he definitely prefers females," Lester said. Hector just looked down and was studying my floor.

"You both need to work on conversational English and not just the academic stuff he'll need in school," Lester said.

No kidding.

"But when I asked him about it this weekend he'd said 'yes, very, very gay' and then he mumbled some stuff," I said, hoping to stay a little longer in Denial.

Lester talked to Hector to see what he'd actually mumbled, turned out it was stuff like 'happy, content, pleased'. It also turned out that at one point he said 'te lo juro' which meant he swore that he was all of those things.

Oh God. He was happy and all that being in bed with me, and thought he was going to get his itch scratched. It was my turn to turn red and get embarrassed.

"What about you guys at the office. How could you not know that he was actually straight?" I asked.

Lester said, "When you see gang tattoos and a tear drop, you don't ask a lot of personal and relationship type questions; it's not like any of us are Dr. Phil or something. He said it once to Ranger when he was first hired and it was never brought up again. I never thought to ask him about it; it wasn't like any of the guys or I wanted to date him. We let his private stuff stay private."

I could see that.

"But what about his family, his friends, old girlfriends? What do they think is going on?"

"In Mexico, he played the field and he dated in groups, but never anyone seriously. When he got here, he didn't date a lot because of the language barrier and the gang thing. Until recently, he hadn't been looking for a committed relationship and that's what he's wanting now. He'd been waiting until he could afford the family that went along with it.

"Besides, you've met his aunt and his brother. They both thought you'd be a good candidate for a relationship with him. They each told him so on the day you met them. Beautiful, you were being pre-screened and didn't even know it," Lester said.

That explained why we had lunch with his aunt and why he did the side projects with me at the bakery. It explained why his aunt made the comments about commitment. It also explained why his brother seemed so pleased to meet me.

Jesus.

"But you know it doesn't matter what they think or what anybody else thinks. What matters now is what you think. What matters is what do you want to do now?" Lester asked.

He talked to Hector for a minute in Spanish and said, "I need to get back to the office. Beautiful, do you think the two of you can handle it from here?"

My head was down and I just nodded. I did more nodding today than I could remember. I needed to watch that, something might come loose.

I stood up to walk Lester out and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Thanks for letting me know. See you at work," I said.

Before he walked out the door, Lester whispered into my ear, "Steph, really he didn't know you didn't know. He thought that you _wanted_ him. He thought you had _volunteered_ to be in the same room and tent with him because you wanted _to do that with him_. He wasn't looking for an easy lay. He never thought of you that way. He couldn't believe he could possibly have been that lucky."

"You aren't kidding are you?" I whispered back.

"I only wish I was. Don't hurt him too badly. It really was an innocent mistake on his part. He thought he'd gotten all the signals right which is why he jumped the gun.

"Against my own nature and as much as it hurts me, I'm not going to say anything about this to anybody. This is one time when I think enough damage has been done, I won't add to it by making it a joke or spreading any stories," Lester said. With that, he was out the door.

I closed the door, locked it and walked across the room. Hector took my hands and sat me down next to him on the sofa. He put his arm around my shoulder and moved his finger up and down my upper arm.

"Do you have any questions for me?" he asked.

"Do I really have to think about that now?" I responded. I had a lot to absorb and didn't want to clutter my mind with anything new.

"No, you don't have to think about it now. You are important to me. Can we stay friends? I like you, a lot," he said quietly.

"I'd like that," I said with a small sigh.

"I feel stupid and ashamed," he whispered.

I could understand that. People have misconceptions about me all of the time, but usually it is because it is of what they think and not directly related to something I've said.

"Can I hold you for a while, please," he whispered.

"Please," was all I could say.

We stayed in the living room on the couch but he straddled it in such a way that I was between his legs and my back was to his front. He took my hands and played with my fingers.

We didn't say anything for the longest time, just sat there enjoying this moment for what it was. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I don't know how much time passed when he broke the silence.

For some reason, it just felt right to keep our voices low. I'd heard it said that sometimes when you really want to be heard, don't yell whisper. Seemed right, at least this time.

"I'm sorry," he said.

OK.

"I thought you liked me the way I like you," he went on.

I just sat there and said nothing.

"You had gotten so comfortable around me. You didn't object to my kissing you on the cheek, the couple of kisses on the lips, the times when I've taken your hand or put my arms around you," he said.

"Lester told me that a lot of that was a cultural thing. I didn't think a whole lot about it. Besides, it felt nice," I said.

"But a lot of 'American' women, don't accept it and resist. I thought you would be like them, but you weren't like them."

"I guess I'm not like them. I'm me," I said.

"The night you did the thing for me with my hands," he started.

"Manicure," I said.

"Anyway, you answered the door in your pajamas. I wasn't sure why you would do that if you weren't interested in me."

"I didn't think about it. I'd been told you were gay, so in my mind what I was wearing wouldn't have mattered. I wasn't trying to lead you on."

"Then you got Ranger to leave and you said you weren't dating him," he said.

"Ranger shows up unannounced all of the time. I get Ranger to leave when I have friends over. I did offer to let him stay," I said. "So we are both clear, I am not dating him and I'm not his girlfriend. He doesn't do relationships. Ranger does casual sex. I don't do casual sex."

He continued, "Yesterday, you left clothes on the bed while you were in the tub."

"Yeah. So? I do that all the time," I replied.

"I couldn't help but notice all of the _lacy_ _things_ you had on the bed," he went on. "I thought you had planned to wear those for me."

Oh. Oh boy. The little light of realization went on; he thought I was trying to show him how interested in him I was. Jeez.

"I almost always wear lacy underwear. I wear them for me. In case you didn't notice, I work with a bunch of guys and I like to feel like a girl," I said. "Besides, I never thought you would come in the room while I was in the tub or I would have taken them into the bathroom with me. I didn't lay them out to tease or entice you or even to send any kind of a message, I promise."

We sat for a while and let it all digest. I don't know how long we sat, but the quiet was nice.

Hector finally broke the silence.

"Do you want a boyfriend?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. Things are complicated," I said.

"Is Ranger complicated? Am I complicated?" he asked.

"When I thought you were gay, I didn't think you were complicated. This weekend, you got complicated in a hurry. I thought you wanted someone to hold and kiss and I was there. I was convenient. I thought that you were experimenting or something," I said. "That part was very complicated and confusing."

I turned so I could look him in the eye. I said, "Do you know why I initially wanted to be in the tent with you? It was because I thought you were safe. I don't understand young boys, so last night I didn't want to be in a room with a bunch of them and I was still thinking you were pretty much safe, well mostly safe. Besides I don't date men who date men." I was smiling and so was he.

"I don't date men either," he said, "and around you I'm not safe."

No kidding he wasn't safe. He wasn't safe in all of the best possible ways, according to my hormones.

I turned so I couldn't see him again. I wanted to talk to him some more, but looking him in the eye might prove to be embarrassing or distracting. I decided to make a minor confession of my own.

I breathed deeply and let it out slowly. In an even quieter voice I said, "It felt so right when you held me and when you kissed me. I thought I'd like to do that every night for a very long time."

"You feel right in my arms, in my bed, under me," he said. His voice had gotten husky.

I didn't want to turn around to look at him, I was afraid I might kiss him again and further complicate things. God I hate that word 'complicate' it's almost as bad as the phrase 'we need to talk'.

"Just because it feels right doesn't make it right," I said with a sigh. If everything that felt right to me was right, I'd have been a certified nympho years ago and my mother would be on the board of directors for Spray Starch and Rowenta, the maker of great German irons.

"I know," he said.

"Besides, you work for Ranger and so do I. We'd both have to leave our jobs and I like mine. Right now I don't get covered in garbage and I have regular hours, I can have a life," I said wishing he might, maybe, be able to be a part of it.

"I have a cousin where I can do the same kind of work. He will pay me to go to school, too."

"But I thought you liked Rangeman."

"I like the job. A job is just a job. It is to help you pay for what you want in life." Smart boy.

"You are six years younger than me," I said.

"Age is a number," he replied. "Numbers are only important in math."

"I don't know your culture and I don't speak Spanish," I said stating the obvious.

"You can learn like I am learning."

"I don't cook."

"I cook. You have to be willing to eat Mexican though," he said with a cheesy laugh.

"Smartass," I said with a smile.

We lapsed back into silence.

It felt like hours before I said to him, "Are you really ready for a serious girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"How do you know? I mean this could just be infatuation. This could be boredom. This could be your body talking and overriding your mind," I said.

"I wanted to get to know you for a long time."

Huh?

"Why? I mostly sit in front of a computer all day. Nothing special about me."

"You're wrong. People are happy to be around you. When it is a bad day, they talk to you," he said. "I like to talk to you. I am happiest when I am with you. I've enjoyed spending time with you every day, even when it was for a little bit."

I had become Rangeman's answer to Dear Abby. Most of the guys didn't talk well with girls and I tried to provide insight. Some of this other was news to me.

"You know, you have beautiful eyes. I like blue eyes, to me they are rare and precious. Everyone in my family has brown skin, brown hair and brown eyes. We are all the same, boring. You look different, tan bella." (so beautiful)

More silence. Manners, compliments, cooks, wanted a serious girlfriend this might have possibilities. Maybe this was what I had been looking for at some level and didn't even know it.

I finally turned my head to actually look at him. The look in his eyes told me just how serious he was about the whole conversation.

"Why didn't you just come over to talk to me? Am I that scary?" I asked.

"No. I thought you would think I was scary." I just looked blankly at him. "These," he said pointing to some of the tattoos.

Oh. Well if you didn't know him, I guess he could look kind of scary. I turned my body so we were chest to chest. I kissed his neck and laid my head on his shoulder. He had great shoulders to use for pillows. He started playing with my hair and humming softly.

"Why?" I asked. He knew what I meant, why had he joined a gang.

"Lester can explain better, tell the whole story," he said with a sigh.

"No. You tell me what you can. Please," I said.

"I was a good son. I was a good student. I had friends. My family had money," he paused. "Then no money. I was in school when my mother died. I loved college and I had to leave it and my friends. I moved here. I was really alone for the first time. I was angry at her because she was gone. I was angry I had to leave school. I was angry at God. Gangs like people who are angry. I fit," he said.

"Why did you leave?" I asked.

"I changed. I had no more anger. I wanted to live my life, like before but different. I am starting to do that now," he said.

Good enough for me. I didn't want or need any more details.

I was feeling warm, cozy and even safe, well moderately safe. I knew this could complicate things and make them worse, but it felt good to be in his arms and I wasn't ready for that to end just yet.

"Can we nap for a little bit?" I asked him. "We've only slept together two nights but I'll miss you tonight."

"I can stay," he said with a smile.

"As much as I'd like you to, no. Something will happen and I can't do that. Just stay with me now, for a little while," I said. He tried to move me off his chest so he could stand up and go to the bedroom.

"No, out here. It's safer out here. Too much temptation in there," I said.

He resumed his previous position on the sofa and I eased my way back down on his chest. I closed my eyes. I felt at peace. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew the truth about him. I wasn't a freak of nature or some experiment and I wasn't being considered as a potential notch on his bedpost.

It was twilight when I woke up. I looked at Hector and smiled, it looked like he was sleeping. I kissed his neck and his shoulder, then I put my head back where it had been. I felt his hand moving along my head, playing with my hair and realized he was awake.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked.

"Yes," was the reply.

At first they were just soft and clingy. They got a little more intense, but neither of us was willing to let it get too far. He finally reached his limit when he said, "I need to leave. If I don't leave now, I won't ever leave. We aren't ready for that, yet."

He was right. I got off of him and let him get up from the sofa. We both looked rumpled, so we straightened our clothes.

I walked him to the door and said, "Thanks for talking to me, for explaining."

"I am glad you aren't angry at me," he said.

"No. Not angry. Promise," I said. "But now you need to go."

One more quick kiss for the road and he left the apartment.

I was feeling better and my self esteem was restored. I had made no false promises and caused no broken hearts. Most importantly, I felt like I could live with myself.


	16. Chapter 16

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. Visible scaring has been kept to a minimum but emotional scaring is going to be significant, for a while.**

**Thanks to Jaime, Kate Manoso, Luisa and Melody (yes, you are all in alpha order) – Your insight has meant more to me than you'll ever know. I idolize each of you.**

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 16 ****♣**** At Home Alone?**

After Hector left, I realized I hadn't touched my bags. They were sitting in my bedroom where Lester had put them. I hadn't been gone but a couple of days and I felt like a lifetime had passed. I had been outside of my own environment and survived in one piece. I saw sides of each of the Merry Men I wouldn't have expected and still liked them, for the most part.

I walked over to the backpack and duffle, put them on the bed and opened them. I extracted my shoes, clothes and toiletries. I proceeded to put away what I could put away and the rest went into the laundry hamper.

I double checked the pockets on the outside of the bags to make sure I hadn't missed anything and that's when I found them in various pockets around the bag, cards.

I pulled the first one out of the bag, a plain envelope with my name neatly written on the front. The card was a simple white affair and there was a business card type thing inserted with the card.

_Steph,_

_Sorry I was clueless this weekend. _

_But now I have something else I can plan for!_

_Thanks for coming._

_Bobby_

_PS here's your Red Cross Babysitting card, you earned it_

It was a sweet card, but if my mother or Valerie ever found out about the Red Cross I'd get stuck with Val's kids on a regular basis.

The next one had 'Babe' scrawled on the envelope, also simple, it was a kind of linen and of the best quality.

_Babe,_

_I promise your horizons will be gentle this month. _

_No pressure and no expectations._

_ R_

Well that was different. Wonder what he had in mind, exactly what does 'no pressure and no expectations' really mean? Was it time to worry? If it was time to worry, how worried should I be?

Next I found a small folded piece of paper that had chicken scratch on it.

_Steph,_

_I was an ass this weekend. Sorry._

_My mouth overrides my brains sometimes._

_Lester_

_PS. If you forgive me, I'll make it worth your time!_

I guessed I could forgive him, he had broken some bad news to me. I could cut him a break, this time. I really wasn't so sure I wanted to find out just 'how he would make it worth my time'; I'd deal with him later.

There was a small bluish envelope with just the letter 'S' on it. On a piece of printer paper was neatly written:

_Steph,_

_Glad you came with us. Come by whenever you need a chocolate hit._

_Think of me as your 'dealer'._

_Tank_

Cute. Very cute. Tank had some really nice qualities and he was a lifesaver this weekend. I was glad he and Lula had found each other.

The final envelope had a single piece of notebook paper in it. It read:

_Querida_

_Quiero que no estas enojada conmigo._

_No quiero perderte._

_Eres alguien tan especial a mi._

_Te doy un beso y todo de mi carino._

_Siempre,_

_C_

Well that's just lovely. Not only did I not speak Spanish, I didn't read it either. I was going to have to get to a bookstore or a library and get a dictionary. I knew I could ask Ranger or Lester to read it to me and tell me what it meant, but I thought that this might be private. I mean the guys know most of what goes on in my life, but I needed a few things I could keep just for me. I figured since it was written in Spanish, he didn't want the whole wide world knowing whatever it was that it said.

The cards were touching and sweet, the ones I could read anyway. And they were all over my bag? What the hell? Was this a group project or did they each stick their own envelope in when no one was looking? Were they all practicing their 'Secret Squirrel' stuff on my bags? Couldn't they have just left these in my inbox at work?

I put them at the bottom of my underwear drawer for the time being. Anything I left out on an open surface would be easily accessible to a Merry Man who 'needed' to break in. I didn't think they'd have the guts to check out my dresser drawers on a 'search and destroy' mission. OK they wouldn't be afraid of invading my privacy, and they probably wouldn't tell me about it if they did. To any of the Merry Men if they didn't get caught in the act it was considered no harm no foul.

I decided then and there that what was past was past. I wasn't going to dwell on any thing that happened this weekend or even this afternoon. Sure I was going back to Denial Land but my passport was in good order and I was racking up the frequent 'denier' miles. Besides I'd always admired Scarlett O'Hara, the one time queen and czarina of Denial Land. Scarlett was my one true role model, I considered her to be my idol for her ability to deny everything and keep on moving forward.

I was getting hungry and it was past my regular dinner time. There were a lot of things I could deny, but not my stomach. I decided to call the Thai place down the street. I placed an order that was big enough to save me from my own cooking for at least a couple of days.

I had just put the bags back in the closet when there was a knock on the door. The guy from the Thai place was early. I grabbed the wallet from my purse as I headed toward to door.

I called out, "Be right there."

I opened the door without checking the peephole first. It was Ranger looking tired. He was carrying my take out and another bag. What the?

"Babe, expecting company tonight?" he asked. His voice sounded a little tight, it seemed like he was still in borderline territorial mode this evening. It also looked like he had beaten the delivery boy to the door.

"Nope, it's just for me," I said. I was treated to the raised eyebrow so I continued, "I wanted to have the freedom not to cook for a couple of days. This stuff is great leftover. Why?"

"I was in the neighborhood and wanted to see if you would join me for dinner," he said.

"That'd be great. Do you want to share this or do you want to go out? Do you mind if I change?" I was starting to get in touch with my inner Albert Kloughn and didn't want to ruin a potentially nice evening.

"You look fine just like you are," he said. "The company is what's important, not the food."

Would tonight be about love and romance? It might have been under other circumstances, but not now. Nope, tonight is about 'love and romance', in my dreams. More likely tonight would be a 'review' of being more aware of my surroundings and things I could have done to avoid being put in compromising positions or why 'planning' was such a good idea. Planning was highly overrated in my world.

I was distracted by the smells coming from the bags. My stomach won out over the possibility of dinner someplace else, so I simply went into the kitchen and pulled out plates, utensils and a couple of glasses. "We have bottled water, beer, Coke or wine from a box. Sir, do you have a preference?" I asked.

"Did you drink the wine I brought over last week?" he asked.

"Of course not. I'm not used to keeping the good stuff around, so it didn't cross my mind that I even had it. Do you want that with dinner?" I asked.

"No, but put it in the fridge, we'll have some later," he said.

OK, he was planning to stay for a while. If it is just to visit, good; if it was another of his famous 'talks', I wasn't so sure. I decided to hope it was just for the company. I grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and brought them to the table.

Ranger ate what I ordered without complaint and a fair amount of gusto. I made a mistake and ordered a couple of veggie items, lucky for him. I guessed he hadn't eaten much on the trip in addition to the not sleeping much. Guess the temple was going to need to be overhauled if this stuff kept up.

Dinner was pretty quiet until he brought up the subject of Hector and Lester. Just what I was needing. Not.

"So," he said a little too casually, "is there a reason why both Hector and Lester came by to see you today?"

I thought for a minute and prayed my eye wouldn't twitch. I decided to go for part of the truth. Right now I didn't want to play "Truth or Consequences" but I didn't want to lie either.

"Well Lester brought me my bags. I'm not sure who brought the car; I haven't been down yet, but I assume it's in the parking lot. And Hector wanted to talk," I said. It was the truth as far as it went.

"Talk about what?" Ranger asked. Suddenly he wasn't looking tired anymore and it didn't look like he was going to give up the subject.

"I don't know. The usual stuff friends talk about. You know, what made him move here, what he wants from life, stuff like that," I said, again this was true but not detailed.

"Did you learn anything?" he asked.

"Yes, but that's between us. Hey wait a minute, if we're friends, I should have that talk with you. You never talk about yourself. What do you want from life?" I asked feeling very proud that I had taken the spotlight off of myself.

"Can I think about that and get back to you?" he asked.

I wasn't sure if he was kidding. Did he need a game plan or a strategy to answer a simple question like that? Jeez.

"Sure," I said. I rose and cleared the table. "Wine now or later?"

"Later," he said. He helped put the dinner stuff away and clean up the kitchen. We finished the work in silence.

"Hey, I noticed you had a sack in your hands that wasn't from the Thai place. Is it for anyone I know or did you bring it so you could take leftovers home?" I teased.

"I just brought you a little something. I hope you don't mind," he said. Funny he seemed to go into bashful mode at the idea of what was in the bag. Probably it wasn't from Pleasure Treasures, so it was most likely OK and my ears wouldn't turn red.

"Well, can I have it?" I asked.

He handed me the bag and it had several of his old black t-shirts in it. What?

Before I could form the question, he said, "I like to see you in something I gave you. This way, you'll have enough shirts of your own to wear if you go on Bobby's camping trip this summer. Plus if you decide to wear any of them, they're longer than Hector's shirt was. Even though I always find you tempting, I don't like other men looking at you that way. I know I have no right to feel that way, but I do."

"I've been invited to this summer's Boy Scout camp? You've got to be kidding. I was pretty much a wet blanket and moody," I said.

I decided to ignore the comment on Hector's shirt and the apparent confession of jealousy. Talking with Ranger about jealousy was kind of like opening Pandora's box; not something I wanted to do, there might be things there I really didn't either want or need to know about. It was safer to ignore that subject altogether.

"Bobby thought it was good for the kids to have some diversity this weekend, and thinks that an afternoon session on good manners might not be out of place this summer," he said in all seriousness.

"I don't really know what I think about that. I mean I will probably get my period again and then it will be a re-run of the weekend except longer with lots of bugs and too much humidity. I don't think he really wants to be alone with me where he can't get away, you know?" I said.

"He won't be alone with you. It'll most likely be the same group of adults as before, more or less. You can even have your own tent. Lester has even promised to make sure to respect your privacy," he said. "Besides, Tank figures Tastykakes will work instead of Hershey's because of the heat and he wants to test his theory. He was planning to stock up so he'd be ready for you."

"Wow. What do you say to that?" I asked.

"Say 'yes', if you want to come. Say 'Ranger, sleep in my tent and protect me from the things that go bump in the night' and I will," he said, his voice was husky and wistful at the same time, there was nothing false in the way he was saying it.

Then he bent down and kissed me. He was holding on for dear life. It was like he was a drowning man and I was a life preserver. This kiss was wild and thorough. When it ended I could barely catch my breath, neither could he.

During the kiss he started walking us backward towards the bedroom. I hadn't realized what was happening until we were almost to the bed and he'd untucked my shirt and his hands were moving rapidly up my ribcage. I moved my hand to the front of his shirt and I said, "No. Not this, not tonight."

"Is it because of, you know? It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you, Babe," he said, I knew he was referring to my period. "A woman's body should be worshipped at all times; it shouldn't be restricted because it is functioning normally."

The last time he'd made an offer it sounded cheesy, this time it sounded sincere, honest and was very tempting. But there was still no indication of a future relationship or if this was a one time deal. I knew I was going to have to turn him down.

"Actually, I appreciate the offer, but it really does bother me. Sorry," I said.

Ok. I have had invitations from two perfectly functional men, who might or might not be Mr. Right, for a romp in my bed on the same day, not a few hours apart. Here I was, I had turned them both down. What was wrong with me? Oh yeah, I still didn't want to deal with a bad morning after.

"I've been desperate to hold you for days, will you give me that? Sleep with me. Dream with me. Be next to me. All night. Tonight. Please?" he asked and then he started the whole kissing thing again.

"OK, but it's a little too early to go to bed. We need to do something for at least an hour," I said as I started walking us away from the bed and back into the living room.

The slightly haunted look was immediately gone, Ranger's regular 'wolf' persona was back, "Oh I can think of a lot of things to do with an hour."

"Not those kinds of things. We need to do something that will turn the internal temperature down a little so we can sleep when we go to bed," I said.

He looked disappointed, but he had been expecting the answer.

I started to look in the cupboard in the living room. I didn't have a lot of games but I had a couple. I hated to babysit Mary Alice and Angie by myself, so I got the games so we could do something together other than just sit around and watch TV. Actually they were the same games that Val and I had played as kids, I borrowed them from Mom's attic.

I said, "Alright, here are your choices: Scrabble, Battleship or Clue. If you don't like those I've got a deck of cards and we can play Black Jack."

"Battleship."

I had never been all that good at memory games before my time with Tank. I hadn't played Battleship in years and I had forgotten that it was as much a memory game as the one Tank and I played. I did pretty well. We had each won a game and were in the middle of a third when Ranger started to yawn.

"Go clean up for bed, all the towels are clean in the bathroom. There's a new toothbrush in the drawer in the usual place. I'll be in after you," I said to him.

For a while Ranger was breaking in on a regular basis to 'sleep' with me. I got in the habit of picking up new toothbrushes and razor blades when they went on sale. I guess I was living up to the Boy Scout motto of 'being prepared' even if was just in razors and toothbrushes.

I cleared the game pieces and put it away. The place looked pretty straight for once. My mother had a habit of doing an industrial cleaning if she ever went on vacation. If someone broke in, she didn't want them to think she lived like a slob. It was one of her habits that rubbed off on me.

I was done with the evening tidy and turned off the lights in the living room. The nightlight was on in the bedroom. Ranger was already on 'his' side of the bed fluffing the pillows and adjusting the blankets.

I took one of the shirts that he had just given me in with me to the bathroom so I could do my bedtime routine. I climbed in next to him.

"Thank you, Babe," he said.

"For what?" I asked.

"Wearing the shirt. Like I said, I like seeing you in something I gave you," he said as he reached over and turned off the light.

I put my head on his chest and one leg between his and promptly fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night and Ranger was still next to me. He was breathing evenly. I didn't want to disturb him, but Mother Nature had called and it was time to answer. I shifted and started to get out of the bed when I heard him mumble, "No te vayas. Quedate, please Babe." (Don't go. Stay.)

The words, such as they were, sounded vaguely like Hector's the other night. Lovely, looked like I was going to have learn some Spanish.

I figured what he was meaning and so I said in a low voice, "Be right back."

A grunt came by way of reply. I did my business as quickly as I could and went back into the bedroom. I seldom got to look at Ranger when he wasn't guarded, he looked peaceful and relaxed. He still looked tired, like he needed some extra sleep.

I got back in next to him and resumed my previous position. What? My pillow was broken in and positioned just right. Besides, I didn't have much snuggle time available with Ranger, best to make the most use of it now while it was available. I placed a couple of kisses on his chest and nuzzled his neck before I put my head back down. His arm automatically went around my body and held me tightly to him.

I woke up later to look at him looking at me.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," came the reply, followed by a kiss on the top of my head.

Obviously an infusion of coffee was going to be needed if we were actually going to talk to each other.

"Hungry?" asked my pillow.

"Always. I don't have any breakfast stuff here unless you want leftovers from last night. Have you been awake long?"

"A while. I enjoy holding you. And I think we should go out for something if all you have is leftover food from the Thai place. Don't want to make you have to cook unnecessarily later this week," he said.

Smartass.

He'd been looking at me for a couple of days without all of the make up in place; so I took the ultimate risk and decided to go without it again today. The weather was almost back to normal, still a little cool but nowhere as cold as it had just been. I opted for a denim skirt and a button down with a pair of flats. Ranger had left some shirts and things here in the past. Fortunately they were all hanging in the closet so he didn't need to rummage through the drawers. I was going to need to find another place for Hector's note until I could find out what it meant.

We ate breakfast at a little diner. Looked like the temple was back in full effect today, probably making up for last night and the weekend. He had some kind of fruit and yogurt with his coffee and I had the high fat, high cholesterol special also with coffee.

"So is there anything in particular you want to do today?" I asked him.

"Why don't I make something up as we go long?" he responded.

"Sure. But this is your month, your horizons. I found the note you left in my bag. It said something about 'gentle horizons' and 'no pressure, no expectations'. Did you have something in mind when you wrote that?"

He didn't answer me as he directed me to the car. He started it and began to drive.

I decided that since my 'horizons' had previously been stretched pretty far, I wasn't going to push him.

Maybe Batman needed a day away from the rest of the world himself.

_A/N: In case you don't read Spanish, Hector's note will be read to her by Ranger in the last chapter._

_I know there are those of you out there that have been waiting patiently for Ranger's time to come, it officially 'begins' in the next chapter._

_Thanks for reading! Alf_


	17. Chapter 17

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. **

**No visible scars on any of the Merry Men, I know because I've checked.**

**Thanks to Jaime, Kate Manoso, Luisa and Melody (yes, you are all in alpha order) – You are women of merit – I am just curious which merit badges you all have!**

"_Sure. But this is your month, your horizons. I found the note you left in my bag. It said something about 'gentle horizons' and 'no pressure, no expectations'. Did you have something in mind when you wrote that?"_

_He didn't answer me as he directed me to the car. He started it and began to drive._

_I decided that since my 'horizons' had previously been stretched pretty far, I wasn't going to push him. _

_Maybe Batman needed a day away from the rest of the world himself._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 17 ****♣**** May Begins Part 1**

What the heck? We were heading back to my apartment. Weren't we just here? What about the beach? The mall? The Batcave? Why the hell was I going home now?

"Babe, I need to know how far you are willing to open your horizons."

"Ranger, it sounds like you have something definite in mind. Want to share?" I asked.

"If you are open to what I have in mind, you are going to get dirty, hot and sweaty and spend considerable time on your hands and knees," he said with a completely straight face.

'Oh boy,' I thought. I was thinking about doing a happy dance, mentally anyway. It sounded incredibly tempting, but only if it came with some kind of a commitment. Ok, so maybe not the completely happy dance, but more likely the dance of frustration and confusion.

Before I could form a sentence, he said, "Not that kind of dirty, hot and sweaty, but I'll keep it in mind. The kind I have in mind is more along the 'dirt' kind of dirty."

Oh. Glad I hadn't put my dancing shoes on just yet. I was really hoping it wasn't going to end up being one of his 'redecorating' projects. I'd only done one and wasn't so sure how I felt about doing another one. At least if that's what it was going to be, I knew most of the guys who would wind up on the 'redecorating' team.

"Hey, when this whole 'Expand Stephanie's Horizons' business got started in January, you were the person I knew I could turn to if things got out of control or were too much for me," I said.

"True," he said.

"Well, now that it is you and me, who do I turn to if I'm feeling like I am in over my head or if I get uncomfortable," I asked.

"Same person, still me," he said with a smile.

Oh boy. "Do we need a password or something so you'll know and stuff doesn't get awkward?" I asked.

He just looked at me and said nothing. He was really good at saying nothing. He'd had a lot of practice at it.

The rest of the ride to my apartment was in silence.

When we got back to my place, he sent me to dig in the closet for some 'appropriate' clothes. I went began the treasure hunt in my closet for clothes that were almost raggedy enough to have been retired from bounty hunting. I made sure there were no holes in the butt of the shorts and that they weren't too short. The hot pink top was Grandma Mazur's Sweet Potato Queen's shirt that said, "Be particular". It was a good motto for me to adopt in my own life. I bundled all the clothes together and found a ratty pair of sneakers and socks. I was actually glad I hadn't done all the makeup and hair thing this morning, no one would appreciate it.

"You are messing with my mind. You started out with comments about 'dirty, hot and sweaty', and now you are leaving me hanging. It's not fair," I said with a sigh.

As usual, he said nothing in response to that.

He held my hand as we walked out of the apartment building and across the parking lot.

"You know, I found the note you left in my bag. It said something about 'gentle horizons' and 'no pressure, no expectations'. Did you have something in mind when you wrote that?" I asked him. I knew had already tried to broach this subject once, but damn it I really wanted an answer.

He just smiled and said nothing. Again with the whole saying nothing thing, jeez. It was almost like he had to pay for each word he used and he was being cheap about it. You'd think for a guy with as much money as he had, he could afford a few words once in a while. Was I going to have to introduce him to Vanna and the Wheel of Fortune or something?

He directed me back to the car and then he drove us to the office. The office? What the heck was going on? This was not a part of any plan I could formulate about getting 'dirty, hot and sweaty'.

I wasn't ready to face all of the guys yet and I really didn't want to know what Rodriguez had left for me in my inbox. It felt like years since I'd been here and wasn't sure I was up to it today. I had sort of hoped we'd be up to something fun, looked like it was going to be work. I needed at least one day of pure denial on my side and it looked like I wasn't going to get it.

My face must've told him about my inner turmoil because he answered my question about the office before I'd had a chance to form all the words.

"Not here to work, Steph. Got some stuff to do with you. It's all OK. Bring the clothes in with you," Ranger said.

OK.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He hit a number and said, "I'm offline all day today and probably tomorrow. No emergency is big enough to interrupt today unless someone has actually died and you are at the mortuary. She's with me. She's offline too. Later."

OK, he's offline and isn't going to be messed with. This was good, right?

Ever since last night he'd looked a little different to me, still chiseled and handsome, but something seemed off. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was unusual about him. He looked a little uncertain, distant, maybe haunted by what or why there was no telling. This weekend had been a trial for everyone.

Maybe Bobby was right, maybe I had scarred all the males for life. Was it possible none of them would ever want to date or get married? God, I hoped not, some of the kids were great and I'd hate to be responsible for limiting their futures.

The apartment looked picture perfect, like always. The only time I'd seen any clutter in it was when I stayed with him. I tended to bring my clutter in with me like a whirlwind.

"Make yourself comfortable in the living room Babe, I'll be right back," he said as he went back to his bedroom.

He emerged a few minutes later with a DVD case in his hands. He went to the entertainment center and pushed some buttons and flicked some switches.

"Comfortable, Babe?"

"Yeah. It's kind of early in the day to do a movie, isn't it Ranger? I am really hoping it's not a blood and guts kind of a thing, not really my style," I said wishing I had a box of Milk Duds or Raisinettes or how about some Red Vines, hmm.

"Well, there is some of that in it but not too graphic. You can cover your eyes if you want to, I'll let you know after the bad parts are over," he said in a teasing voice.

"Smart ass."

He did something with the remote and the movie came on. The Lion King. What in the world was this about? He saw the confusion on my face and said, "It was one of Julie's favorite movies when she was little and it'll tell you some things about me. Just hush and watch. We'll talk about it after it's over."

I decided I could take a hint. So I did. I was quiet.

I always loved Disney movies; I felt like a kid whenever I watched one. So I sat on the sofa, enthralled until the credits rolled. I laughed and I cried and I felt like all had been righted in this cartoon world when the whole thing was over.

"So, what does this movie tell me about you, Ranger? You like Disney? You secretly have a thing for cartoons? You like Elton John songs?" I asked. I didn't want to have to answer any questions from him; I had watched the movie strictly as entertainment. I thought I'd beat him to the punch and question him first.

"Do you remember the song _Circle of Life_?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well," he said with a grin, "that's your horizon with me."

Huh?

"It's how I look at pretty much everything. There is a beginning, a period of growth, a middle, a decline, and an ultimate ending to each and every life, all kinds of life, not just human or animal.

"I've seen a lot of this circle. I haven't experienced them all directly, of course, but I'm well aware of how it works and that not everyone gets to come full circle. Some people die young, some people last far longer than anyone expects. You never know when you are getting off the circle."

OK. Long sentences and complex thoughts, a rarity I shouldn't get used to from Ranger. It looked like he was using up some of those words he'd been saving. How many more words would he be spending on me today?

"I've seen my fair share of death and destruction. I need to counterbalance that. At this point in my life, I am looking to the act of creation to bring me peace," he said.

I must have looked worried because he continued, "Babe, I am not looking to 'create' children. I know you aren't planning on that any time soon either. There are other ways to create and find peace."

I wasn't feeling too articulate at this point. Ranger as a philosopher? I had expected a lot of things from him, but this wasn't one of them.

He took my hand to get me off the sofa. I followed him out of the apartment. Normally I don't look around, just go to the door of his apartment and either knock or go in. This time, I followed him about three feet to an unmarked door. The door that had the mandatory "EXIT" sign over it. When I took stairs in the building it was always to go down and not up, so I'd never really paid a lot of attention to them. So I had never even thought to see if there were stairs going up to the roof.

"Ranger, where are we going?"

"Some days you ask a lot of questions. Today, let's just sort of let this flow like water, OK? We're going to the roof."

He led the way and I was a couple of steps behind so I could enjoy the view. I always enjoyed that particular view; it never ceased to take my breath away. I wasn't out of shape. I promise. Really. I just tended to pant whenever I watched that glorious posterior moving. Yeah that's it. I could watch his ass for hours just flexing and releasing, this was to say nothing about watching his pecs flexing and releasing. Ahh. Yep, pretty much I could just watch him all oiled up posing for days on end and I would be highly entertained, though more than a bit frustrated.

We arrived at a small landing and he opened the door to the roof. What I saw absolutely took my breath away, I mean in addition to Ranger's fine hind end. I had never expected that there would be a full garden on top of the roof. It had a series of raised beds, pots and a small shed for supplies in addition to a greenhouse. It looked like everything had been there for quite a while. As we walked around, I noticed there were several benches and even a couple of fountains, actually I heard the fountains before I saw them. It all looked and sounded peaceful, you know, tranquil.

He smiled and the stress from recent days visibly came off of his face. He looked more relaxed than I had ever seen him. When he was relaxed and dropped his guard, he actually looked more handsome than normal. This side of Ranger was something I didn't see very often, usually just when he was asleep.

"This is my circle of life, Babe. This is where I go and what I do to counterbalance some of the absolute shit in my life. I help to create life every spring; I get to nurture it through the summer and harvest as the plants bear their produce. In the winter I do some stuff in the green house, but I miss the rest of it. In winter I start the planning for the next spring," he said smiling.

"So what's the best part?"

"The best part is seeing a tangible change in a plant. Watching it become something from almost nothing. Being able to nurture it along and coax it to be its absolute best. When things go well, I can enjoy the harvest or the flowers. If things go poorly, I review what I did wrong or how Mother Nature got the better of me so I can make better plans for the next growing season. I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from this garden.

"The next best part is that it is like meditation for me. I don't like to sit still and do the contemplative stuff. I do find myself thinking about things when I weed one of the beds, when I mix the compost or when I prune a plant. I get tremendous satisfaction and feeling of peace from the whole process and I'm productive at the same time.

OK. I had never thought of Ranger as being Mr. Green Jeans, but it seemed that the shoe fit.

"So what about all of the times when you have to go out of town? What happens then?"

"Luis is what happens, Babe. He is a master gardener, this is as much his baby as mine. I make the ultimate decisions about what will be planted and he helps to execute my vision. If I am off base, he brings me back to reality."

"So basically you like to do this alone and hide from the world?"

"Not necessarily, sometimes I'm alone, but not always. I'm not really the lone wolf you seem to think I am, I crave people and company, too," he said as he dropped a distracted kiss on my nose.

"So give me the nickel tour. What all do you have here?" I asked. This conversation had been a little heavy and I was hoping things would lighten up.

We went to the far end of the roof to the raised beds.

Ranger went into 'teacher' mode; he hadn't really done much of that since I started bounty hunting. I guess he thought that this was a new chapter in my life where I should learn something.

Obviously when he was saving his words it was so he could spend most of them talking about gardening. He told me the reason he used smallish raised beds opposed to long traditional rows was that you could actually grow more in less space this way. It was something he called square-foot gardens and evidently no space was wasted, in fact the things that supported each other grew together. He took an idea from Mexico called 'the three sisters' where corn, squash and beans were grown together; they all gave something different to the soil while taking something else out.

There were other beds where other vegetables were grown but flowers were in the mix. I had never imagined Ranger growing flowers; probably not for the aesthetic value, probably for what they could give back to the soil or so they could be like insecticide. Was it marigold or gladiola? No matter, one of them was a natural at keeping bugs away and he had a lot of those planted in the various squares, to think I liked flowers because they were _pretty. _Silly me.

In the greenhouse, he had all kinds of greens growing for salads. He also had the seedlings and starter plants. It gave protection from the elements and ensured a safe place for some of these things to grow. No wonder he was always eating salads, from the looks of the greenhouse he'd never get through it all unless he became a bunny or a vegetarian.

There were several paths between each of the raised beds and they were laid out kind of artistically. It was a pretty place to walk and just think; too bad I was going to spend a lot of time getting dirty up here in the 'dirt' sense of the word.

"So do you use everything that you grow?"

"We use a lot of it when it's fresh, some gets canned or dried for the future and the remainder goes to the local food bank," he said.

"We? Who is we?" I asked. I was starting to wonder who was involved in this whole production.

"Luis and Ella, and of course me. Any of the guys who want fresh, organic produce can have it for the asking," he said. "Babe, didn't think you cared all that much for vegetables."

"I don't unless there's a great cream sauce being served over them. Just looking around and it looked like even a lot of veggies for you, that's all," I said. I was relieved for no good reason. I don't know what I had imagined the answer was going to be, but this wasn't it.

"Now that the nickel tour is over, it's time to go back downstairs and change. There is work to do," he said.

Lovely. In the past there have been countless times when I had imagined myself on my knees more or less at Ranger's feet, but for some reason weeding a container of squash wasn't something that went with that image. In my mind the words 'hot, sweaty, dirty, and bed' with Ranger had nothing to do with gardening. I guess my horizons were expanding in ways I hadn't really planned. I sighed deeply as I thought about that, at least this was something someone else could witness.

We went back down the stairs. He changed in the dressing room and I changed in the bathroom. He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge.

Even in his gardening togs he looked great. The old shirt had the sleeves cut out and a pair of old cut off jeans for shorts. Like always, he was yummy to look at. I hadn't realized he also had a floppy hat, probably for me, and some gloves in his hands when we left the apartment.

After about 10 minutes of gardening I was utterly, completely and entirely bored. I was supposed to take dead flowers off the plants 'dead head' them so that new stuff could grow. But some of those flowers were pretty darned low. I was bored and I decided to book a trip to Denial Land and see if there were any Merry Men in their teenie tiny Speedos at the beach in Bermuda; nope no one there except me, but I was going to keep looking.

He did this to relax? This was fun? Had no one taught him the thrill of the hunt at a Macy's End of Season Shoe Sale? Had he never known the powerful rush that came from wrestling the only thong in your size out of the hands of a much larger woman who obviously wasn't going to fit into it and definitely didn't need it? Hadn't he ever known the absolute joy in making the ultimate decision: Boston Crème or Jelly Filled?

Evidently not. It seemed my horizons weren't the only ones that needed expanding.

It was warm up here. My back was getting sore and I was getting cranky. Plus I was bored.

"Need some help here, Ranger," I said.

"Babe," came the voice, "something wrong?"

"Stuck and can't get up good enough for you?" I asked. I was feeling like one of the TV commercials for old people who have that button thing they push when they can't move. "My back hurts and so do my knees. What do you say?"

He didn't say a word. He just rescued me from myself. I guess he decided he had enough because he took me to the door and back down the stairs.

"Didn't I tell you that you'd get 'dirty, hot and sweaty'? I try to be a man of my word," he said with a wink.

'I had been sort of hoping for the other kind of dirty with Ranger,' I thought to myself.

"Of course you are, I never would have doubted it," I said with a smile. Thank God I hadn't said the other part out loud.

"Let's get you cleaned up so I can feed you and you can relax a little," he said.

We went back to seven to pick up my clothes and then I was escorted back to four so I could do my thing with all of my stuff. It would have been more fun to have 'conserved water' with Ranger, but Aunt Flo was still here and we still had things to work out, maybe.

He said, "I'll call Ella for an early dinner, is about 45 minutes from now enough time for you? I'm going to go back to seven to clean up. I'll come back for you when it's time."

I didn't take too long in the shower. I wanted to make sure I could get my hair blown dry; it had been a while and I wanted to look like myself again. I did what voodoo I could do in such a limited amount of time. I decided to go with what I had worn earlier today, I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard. But there was makeup and hair gel, I looked much more like me, I thought.

I finished with five minutes to spare so I decided I'd try to read a little something. I couldn't concentrate. I mean it wasn't a date, but this just wasn't typical for us. Ranger and I had dinner together on a semi-regular basis but usually it was after a job and there was no clean up required, just the food.

Dinner was a bunch of grilled veggies in marinara sauce over some kind of pasta with a salad. Turned out that Ella used the stuff from the rooftop when she made up her menus; tonight with the exception of the pasta everything had come from the garden.

"What got you started gardening?" I asked.

"A couple of things. When I spent time 'away' from my family, all the kids in juvie had to work in the community garden. I discovered I had a talent for it. Plus, I think it's a genetic thing," he said.

"How can gardening be 'genetic'?" I asked.

"Ok, not genetic. More like it is a family trait. My abuela lived with us when I was a kid. She hated housework but loved to cook and work in the yard. Abuela Rosa grew beautiful plants. Even though we were poor, our little yard looked rich and lush. I always figured if she could do it I could do it too."

"Wow," I said. I guess it was my turn to embrace some silence.

After a couple of mouthfuls, I asked him, "Why garden on the roof?"

"Well, I'm here a more than anywhere else. The guys are here a lot. I don't have to pay any more money for the space to grow the plants. If I have a bad client meeting or if a takedown goes wrong, sometimes the gym isn't the best place for me to get my frustrations out. When things are totally FUBARed, I need to get my fingers back into the earth and feel like I am making something, anything, better."

OK.

We talked a little about the growing season, but it left one pretty big hole in the calendar. What about winter? How did he decompress during the winter? I mean there was the greenhouse, but surely it wasn't enough to keep him occupied all winter.

"Take a look around, do you see any themes?" asked Mr. Aware-of-His-Surroundings-at-(Almost)-All-Times.

I looked around and saw the usual, the standard furniture, bookcase full of pristine looking books, some empty wooden vases and a couple of artsy looking wood bowls. Nothing stood out at me, so I told him that.

"Either I've done a really good job or a really bad one," he said.

He had me walk with him to look at some things: the vases, the artsy wood bowls, even the salad bowls. Ranger was showing them to me with a considerable amount of pride. Turns out that he converted a storage room that was in the garage for his 'other' hobby, woodworking.

"I like the idea of creating something out of a blank thing. Michelangelo has been credited with saying he would chip away at the marble until the figure was exposed. He would see the finished piece in his mind when he saw a given piece of marble. I try to do the same thing with wood. I usually just do functional things and I work on a form until I feel that I have perfected it and then I move on," he said. "Unless I have a special request, usually from a family member, then I do that."

Huh?

"I've got all the lathes, grinders and other tools in a storeroom in the garage I converted several years ago. I love the smell of the wood chips and the feel of the chisels in my hand. Anyway, I make several of an item, like the vases or bowls, until I feel like I have done it to the best of my ability."

"What do you do with all of them?" I asked wondering just who he gave them to in the first place. Jealous much Plum? Evidently and more than I wanted to admit to myself.

"Mostly they are used as gifts. I tend to keep the initial attempts for myself and the rest are given away to family and friends for holidays. I've got all kinds of bowls and vases that are just sitting waiting for homes," he said.

"You've never given anything like that to me," I said feeling a little hurt.

"Actually I have, you just didn't know it."

"How could I possibly miss a big wooden bowl, Ranger, even I am aware of that much of my surroundings," I sniffed.

"Did you bring your purse back upstairs with you?" he asked. I nodded. "Go get it," he said.

I retrieved my purse from the front hall.

"Do you have your GPS pen in there?"

Again, I nodded and I dug it out. One of these days I was really going to need to clean out my purse.

He took it from my hand after he cleaned it off a little. He handed it back to me with a smile.

"I made the pen case that the unit is sitting in. I knew you didn't do the fancy dinner parties so you wouldn't need a large bowl. I also knew that most of the flowers you get are from stalkers. I didn't want you to have something in your apartment you wouldn't be using. I only made two attempts at the pens and you have one of them," he said quietly.

"Who has the other one?" I asked.

"Me."

Wow.

"Oh. I had no idea, but I always did think it was pretty. Thank you for making it for me, it will make it even more special," I said and I kissed him on the cheek.

We listened to some classical music, his preference, while drinking a little wine after we tidied up from dinner. After a little while he told me that it had been a long weekend and he was still needing to catch up on his sleep. He gave me a choice of sleeping either with him or on four, he was too tired to take me home.

I decided to stay on four, I wasn't tired yet and I knew I was going to have to get used to sleeping on my own again. As much as I liked sleeping with Ranger the more I did it, the harder it would become to go back to my own lonely bed. I had stuff to think about anyway.

Before I left, we decided that my nerves had been soothed enough to go back to work the next day. I would have enjoyed a couple of additional days away but I figured if I didn't I'd never catch up on my inbox. Rodriguez seemed to revel in the times I was gone so he could stack my box high and deep. Besides, Ranger would probably have me doing more stuff on the roof and given the choice I'd rather exercise.

A/N: thanks for reading! Alf


	18. Chapter 18

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. **

**I think we should all custody of the MM, we have more fun with them than JE ever thought possible!**

**To Jaime, Kate Manoso, Luisa and Melody you have been amazing and inspiring. Thank you.**

_Before I left, we decided that my nerves had been soothed enough to go back to work the next day. I would have enjoyed a couple of additional days away but I figured if I didn't I'd never catch up on my inbox. Rodriguez seemed to revel in the times I was gone so he could stack my box high and deep. Besides, Ranger would probably have me doing more stuff on the roof and given the choice I'd rather exercise._

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 18 ****♣**** May Part 2**

The next morning I went to my cube at the regular time and saw the e-mail from Ranger that we were going to be together for the afternoon. I shut my computer down after lunch and went to his office. Ranger was piled to his eyeballs in work, big surprise. On the table in the corner there was a stack of catalogs. Shopping? This could be fun unless the catalogs were for Kevlar vests and tear gas; I was hoping against hope that they were shoe or lingerie catalogs.

"Come in, Babe. Take a seat at the table. Be right with you," Ranger said.

I pulled the top catalog off of the top to look at it what I might get to shop for: seeds? What? Yep, Ranger really was Mr. Green Jeans.

He got done with whatever he was doing and was looking excited when he asked, "So, what do you think? I know now isn't the time to be looking at these catalogs, there's work to do, but I want to get your opinion on things that I'm planning to do late in the summer season."

How to respond to that? The only flowers I liked were already grown, cut and arranged in the vase. The only seeds I did much with were watermelon seeds or sunflower seeds; Val and I used to spit them at each other as kids. This was kind of out of my scope.

I decided to go for non-committal. "Ranger, looks like you have some definite ideas of what you are looking for. Why don't you tell me what you think?"

He immediately started in on the benefits of this company versus that. Heirloom seeds versus the new hybrids. The importance of balance on his roof. The only time I had ever heard him get that excited about something was when he got a new firearm or a new car, he would extol upon their virtues until I could no longer hear him all I could do was watch him move his lips. It kind of reminded me of watching TV without the sound.

He looked at catalogs, circled things and highlighted others. He pointed out some things he'd already marked and commented on those. After about two hours he said, "Thanks for your input, Babe. I didn't know what I wanted to do for the late summer season; your input has been invaluable."

I had no idea what he had been talking about so I just smiled up at him and said, "You didn't need me, you make great decisions. I think you just wanted the company." Whew, glad that I had practice with this kind of conversation. I'd had years of practice from living with my mother listening to her extolling the virtues of so-and-so's marinara sauce versus their meat sauce.

"I forgot to give you your range schedule this week. I'll make a new one up for you each week, the time will vary depending on my schedule, but you aren't getting out of it. You seem to resist less with the guys than you do with me, so you are going to continue to have the rotating coach. The guys already know."

Ok.

"By the way, today is Hector. I don't know whether or not you are going to be willing to continue to work with him on his vocabulary, but he is really putting in a big effort now to get the TOEFL passed. Sounds like he's got a motivation to get back into school," this was good. Ranger went on, "Lester said that he's got the hots for some 'American' and that would be motivation enough for him to learn to communicate better."

Great. I was going to have to find a way to get Lester dead and not raise any flags. Anyway, it looked like I was going to continue to have a lot of one on one time with Hector.

"You OK there Babe? You're looking pretty harried," he said.

"Nope, I mean yep. I mean I'm just fine. I had sort of hoped that the daily range thing was going to end," I said, again with the truth just not the whole truth. I hoped I was up to seeing Hector. If Hector could do it, so could I.

"Babe, I'm going to be working late into the night to catch up. Have Hector drop you off after you're done at the range. I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he kissed me gently.

I remembered the Cat in the Hat from when I was a kid; it featured Thing 1 and Thing 2. Great here I am in my own version of the book with Temptation 1 and Temptation 2. I could do this. It would be just fine. Really, I was almost sure it would be fine.

**♣****♣****♣**

I grabbed my weapon from my desk drawer and I went down to the range, just like I promised. Hector was waiting for me with targets ready to go. He was wearing a new uniform that actually looked like the clothes were in his own size. Frick, he'd even had his hair cut so that his eyes really stood out, and I really liked looking into his eyes. Damn it. He looked great and I'm pretty sure he knew it. It was easier for me to look at him when the clothes were baggy and ill fitting. Shit. And there was that aftershave or cologne or whatever it was again. He was intentionally trying to distract me.

Why me? Great, now I sounded just like my mother. Fudge.

He took his remote out from his pocket and scrambled the cameras like Ranger usually did when I was with him and he didn't want it recorded. This was so not good. Or was it?

Hector came up to me and gave me several very gentle kisses on the lips and a lingering embrace. My body was just getting used to having him in so close a proximity and I was really starting to enjoy it when he stepped away from me and turned the cameras back on.

I'm sure I was looking pretty confused and maybe even a little disappointed. My body kept betraying my mind when I was alone with him. My body was ready to have a good time even if my mind wasn't so sure about it.

He simply said, "I'll explain it to you later."

I was sore from gardening yesterday and my concentration just wasn't there today. At least not the kind of concentration I needed to have to actually hit a target. Sure, I had enough brains about me to play solitaire or read the funnies on line, but not enough to focus on anything like this.

Today the little paper men would have all escaped with their lives. Only a couple of my shots actually hit what I was aiming at and the rest were on the paper but wouldn't have landed on an actual body. I was wanting to do something else, anything else, just not this and it showed in my targets.

I did fifteen rounds of pure frustration. Hector was behind me by about ten feet; just standing, watching and evaluating. God, I hadn't been this bad since my first day at the range. The very first day I had excuses, I was new and I was distracted by Ranger. I was no longer new and I wasn't being distracted by Ranger. What was wrong with me, really?

"Problem today, nena?" he asked.

"Just don't really want to be doing this today," I said with a small smile.

We both knew I was going to have to do the proscribed hour because Ranger would periodically check the feed coming from the room to make sure I was actually working and not dinking around the whole time. Whenever Ranger was in town, it was his habit to check the range monitors to make sure I was really putting in my time and _working_. You'd think I didn't like to practice or something, sheesh.

"I talked to Tank," he said as he pulled a penny out of his pocket.

I shot a dirty look his direction, but even that shot missed because he was suddenly looking down. I couldn't do anything right today _**and**_ now I was going to have to chase change all around the fricking range. At least I didn't have to wear eye and ear protection when I lost the pennies to the floor. It was the only thing I liked about the drill.

Hector saw the look of frustration on my face because he emptied all of the change out his pockets onto the table. It looked like a couple of rolls at least. Guessed I was going to get to lose all of the pennies and then get on my hands and knees instead of chasing one penny for an hour.

He was trying to keep the awkwardness out of the situation and keep things 'professional' between us, OK as professional as they were going to get today. Since the whole kissing situation earlier, we both avoided almost all conversation. Thank god.

After I had lost all of his change to the floor and cleaned it up he said, "Tank likes that drill, I don't." So now he tells me. He went on, "Can I help you a little differently?"

"Why not?" I replied.

He asked me to put my "eyes and ears" back on and get into the stance I normally used to shoot and then got behind me and appraised it. All I could hear was the 'tsk tsk' in his voice. He got behind me and moved my legs where he thought they should be and had me relax my shoulders and arms. Then he put the weapon in my hands and put his arms over mine to support my grip. I finally hit the target approximately where it needed to be. It would have been nice just to hit the target, but he wouldn't leave. He stayed there with me, plastered to my back, for ten whole minutes. It looked like he had been taking lessons from Lester in terms of disregarding personal space. I didn't really want to have that conversation with him, actually either of them.

I was never more pleased than when my shooting time was up and I had five minutes left to clean the barrel and cylinder. I was looking forward to getting away from Hector. He was setting my hormones off just by being behind me and not doing anything else. So not what I really needed at the moment when what I really wanted was to hold on to whatever control I still had over my hormones.

When I was done I remembered that Ranger was wanting me to spend time working with him to prepare for his test. I was a grown up, I could do this. This wouldn't be too bad, we'd just keep on like we had before, right?

"So, you want to keep up the language lessons, Hector?" I asked.

"Are we back to 'Hector' now?" he asked in the hurt sound.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I'm just not sure where we actually are right now. I'll call you whatever you want me to. Let's get back to the question. When are we going to do your study sessions?" I asked.

"Depends on the duty schedule and Ranger," he said with a smile. "I study better at night."

Great. In less than one week, more precisely in one weekend, he was now an official walking hormone. Had Ranger started 'Team Hormone' and no one told me? Fudge. There had to be some kind of anti-hormone something on the market I could either put in the water or I could spray on him when I was around him so my pheromones and hormones didn't respond to his.

"Tell you what, we'll let Ranger set the schedule. Fair?" I asked.

"Sure."

"I'm done for today. Ranger said that you would be my ride back to my apartment. Do you mind if we get going after I grab my purse?"

"No problem, nena."

Back to the 'nena' thing, I was going to have to get a Spanish dictionary one of these days.

"Ok, I'll meet you in the parking garage," I said.

I went back to grab my stuff and called my 'good-byes' to everyone and headed back to the parking garage.

He already had the motor started when I got off the elevator. He helped me into the truck and then we were off.

He was looking pretty proud of himself. Finally he said something, "I built and installed the current security system. Ranger and I are the only people who can scramble the cameras. I even have certain rooms set up to send a dummy feed of whatever and whenever I want; no one else knows or can duplicate it, not even Ranger. I wouldn't do it for more than a few seconds because I don't want to draw attention. It isn't something I plan to do often."

Lovely, he could prevent me from looking like a fool to the monitoring stations and block Ranger from seeing a stolen kiss or more. He also knew how much was going to set off flags to the rest of the world. He'd evidently given this a lot of thought, but how long ago? Shit.

"Questions?" he said with a huge smile.

"No," I said looking at the floor.

Initially I'd figured I'd be safe from him at work, especially on the range. I knew the range had cameras but no mics because the sound of the gunfire would drown out most all conversations. But now I knew there was that thing he could do with the cameras, shit. Then I remembered what he had said about 'not being safe'. Apparently everything now fell under the heading of 'not being safe'. Was there anything that wasn't going to fall under that same stupid heading? I was afraid I was going to find out and soon.

Per the standard Rangeman dictate, he walked me up to the apartment and swept it for interloping dust bunnies. It's been several months since the last stalker and it was a source of embarrassment to me that everyone acted like I was incapable of protecting myself. But since Ranger had made it part of official policy, the seek and destroy mandate would remain in place.

After the apartment was cleared, I was finally allowed in.

He closed the apartment door and took a serious look at it like it was the first time he had ever seen it. Then he went into the bedroom and stood in front of the window and looked at it closely, too. He had the standard Rangeman blank face when he was thinking about something. Ducky. I had no idea what he was thinking about but I was thinking that I didn't really care right now.

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Nothing in it; the food fairy forgot me while I was camping and didn't show up while I was at work. Great, I was going to have to get to the grocery sooner than later. I did find the Thai leftovers from the other night. I felt awkward about making dinner for myself and not including Hector, so I decided to ask him to join me.

He set the table while I put stuff in microwaveable containers. I didn't ask if he wanted beer or wine, I just got out water. I didn't want his inhibitions to be lowered, or my own. I wasn't going to add to the 'unsafe' quotient.

We ate in relative silence. I completely blissed out while I was eating, I mean this stuff was good. I paid no attention to anything other than the food in my mouth and how good it tasted. I probably should have been more aware of my surroundings. I was sure I did the whole moaning thing because he got the same look on his face that I'd seen in the semi-darkness of the room at the bed and breakfast. I tried to apologize but all he did was smile.

Nuts.

Sometimes I'm just not a great conversationalist. Tonight was a prime example one of my lack of skill. I had been searching for a topic and finally found one.

I said in a teasing tone, "Ranger mentioned that you are in a hurry to learn more English because you are interested in some 'American'. He thinks it's a good motivator for you."

"You are a good teacher and I learn well from you. I have to take that test to get into college, I need to complete my education. It's time to start over again.

"Do you think the 'American' is you? Would you still help me even if it wasn't?" he asked in a playful tone, but I couldn't tell from his face if he was serious or not.

Shit. I had been full of myself thinking he was doing it for me. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

I spluttered a little, but tried to take it in stride. The little Jiminy Cricket voice in my head said, 'Remember, he's younger than you and he works for Ranger. Back the hormones into the barn and start to breathe. He's not necessarily interested in you, you should be feeling relieved,' But I wasn't. I wasn't relieved at all. I was sort of disappointed but I couldn't place my finger on why. I wasn't planning to date Hector or anybody else right now, and my ego shouldn't have gotten that big after one weekend. I mean, nothing really happened, right?

Immediately after that little exchange, he leaned in for a few long, slow and burning type kisses he was so good at that melted my insides. Then he nuzzled my neck a little and said 'thanks'. Maybe it was me after all.

Thank God he had more control than I did. He pulled back after a couple of minutes. If he hadn't some of those kisses would have melted my panties right off my body, and I'd have dragged him into the bedroom like I was Tarzan and he was Jane. I was really going to have to talk to my doctor about this overabundance of hormones. Soon. I had a feeling I just wasn't to be trusted alone with _anybody_.

That was precise moment when I resolved that the study sessions were going to be in one of the unused conference rooms that had been set up for camera monitoring. I was sitting next to temptation and didn't want to be unsupervised with him for at least an hour every day. I used to think of the cameras as being an electronic nanny, now I was feeling relieved to have a babysitter.

**♣****♣****♣**

The next day, I decided to tell Ranger the truth. OK, so I told him _part_ of the truth. I was much more alert to 'teach' during the daytime, that when the sun went down I got distracted a lot more easily. I said Hector would learn more from me when I was paying attention. I didn't really care if he had stated a preference to Ranger; Ranger didn't ask any questions and just took my word for it.

I got a regular time scheduled with Hector in the middle of the day and always in the same room. Sure it was monitored like the rest of them, but this one was near the men's room. It afforded me the luxury of knowing that if Hector got handy, help was just a shout out away. I didn't trust that anything might or might not be caught on the cameras, knowing what I now knew.

**♣****♣****♣**

Ranger was really into this whole gardening thing and we went up every day for almost two months. Actually it felt like two months, long excruciating months with no food, water or distractions. In reality it was only five days. For me the time was just dragging.

The upside of the whole thing was that it was easier for me to talk to him while he was working on the plants. His concentration was divided and his guard was down; this was to my advantage. I tried to get him to divulge just a little more about himself. Some days it worked and other days it was like trying to talk to a statue in a church.

Every day I tried to come up with new conversations to have in the garden. One day it was, 'what's your favorite color'. Another day it was, 'name one country you never want to visit again and why.' I assumed he'd been to a lot of countries and not always under favorable circumstances; needless to say that conversation was pretty short. One of the things I really wanted to know was whether or not he had his own 'bucket list', things he wanted to do before he kicked the bucket; that was met with silence and a shake of his head. Most of my attempts were lame, but the quiet on the roof was going to be my undoing.

Conversationally, I was grasping at straws when I settled on my next topic: vacations.

"So, what's your ideal vacation?" I asked him.

He thought about it before he answered. He never did answer my questions quickly. "Alone or with someone?" he finally asked.

"Either."

He thought some more. I thought he was ignoring me when he finally said, "Alone and hands down it is backpacking. The world is a different place when you can walk through it at your own speed and enjoy what you find. You can get as far back to nature as you want, or you can do the more civilized stuff. I backpacked and hitchhiked Europe after I finished high school before I went into the Army. It was one of the high points in my life."

Wow, complex sentences and complete thoughts. Nice.

"And with someone?" I asked.

Another extended silence, at least this time I didn't think he was ignoring me.

He said, "Depends on the someone. Probably more camping or backpacking stuff. Maybe fishing. I like to get out of the city, clear the head of the day to day clutter. Why?" he asked.

"Just wondering."

I let what felt like several minutes pass, in reality it was probably more like several seconds.

"Which do you do more, vacation alone or with someone?" I asked.

"Babe, it's been a couple of years since I did a vacation other than the Boy Scout camp thing and that's not really a vacation. But to answer the actual vacation question, I went with Tank. We hiked through some old growth forest in northern California."

So he hasn't taken a woman on a trip in a while, this was positive.

"Ever gone with anyone else? I mean other than one of the guys?" I asked.

"Not since the one night stay in a hotel that was supposed to be my honeymoon when I got married. Did you have someone in mind, Babe?" he teased.

I was stupefied and couldn't answer.

"Watering your shoes again, Babe. Not going to do a lot for the plants," he said.

Smartass.

"Nope, just wondering what kinds of stuff you did when you wanted to let your hair down, other than this," I said pointing at the plant beds. "That's all, yeesh."

Most of the plants were on an automatic drip system and getting exactly as much water and food as they needed. He had a few plants that he wanted to 'baby' and so I got to hand-water those. Poor plants, they were either getting too much water or not enough from me. I was hoping the garden would still be together at the end of the month.

We had thinned and weeded all of the beds and I thought I'd never get my nails right again. I was really glad he didn't expect me to get my hands into the compost and turn it. That stuff was just nasty. I knew it was good for the plants and it was its own form of recycling, but I couldn't get past the smell of it. I actually liked when he would send me into the greenhouse so I could pick tomatoes or get some berries from some plant or another, I could tell what a tomato or a berry was supposed to look like and there wasn't so much guess work.

"Babe, I need your help with seedlings in the greenhouse today. But we'll never be done weeding. This is an open air garden and the birds drop seeds, so new weeds grow. Cycle of life thing. Besides, I'll make it up to you. I promise to make sure you get some flowers from up here for your desk."

'Is there anyway I can get Rangeman to pay for my manicures? My hands are looking rough enough to need a professional to undo the damage. It should be considered a business expense since I was weeding the flower garden on company time, right?' I thought.

"Babe, the company isn't going to pay for your manicures. What happened to 'beauty night' anyway?"

Damned ESP.

"I still do it, but you have me out here every day so the nail polish looks like crap in just a couple of days. You'd never understand; you're not a girl."

"Good thing," he said as he leaned in to kiss me on the forehead.

"Tomorrow can we look at seed catalogs?" I asked. They were pretty boring but some of them had pretty pictures.

"Babe, you hated looking at those things."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"Let's see, your eyes glazed over and I changed subjects; you didn't notice. But since this really seems to be my thing and not yours, I'll limit the time you put in up here with me. I do think you have a new appreciation for Ella's cooking now that you know first hand what goes into getting the ingredients for it. I'll leave you to doing the 'harvesting' of stuff for now, OK?"

"I really tried to pay attention, promise. So what will we do if we don't do this?"

"I'll come up with something," he said with a devastating smile.

The wolf was back. I had been missing the wolf.

He had been distancing himself from me after the first night home from camping. I was wondering if I had done something to offend him, but didn't want to ask. We still did dinner together a couple of times a week, but he had drastically reduced the amount of touching and kissing and, probably worst of all, I hadn't slept with him since then either. I mean, sleeping slept with him. I really liked waking up in his arms, even if it did mean having to run with him.

I'd also noticed that some of the shirts and things he'd left before were disappearing one by one from my closet. The shirts he had given me were all still in my drawer, but the closet was being raided. At one time, it looked like he had a week's worth, or more, of clothes in my closet, now not so much. There were still a couple of things there, but I had a feeling if I wanted to keep them I'd have to hide them in the bowels of the closet. If he really wanted his stuff back so badly, why didn't he just ask? It's not like I was going to sell his stuff on EBay or anything.

_A/N: Captain Kangaroo was the longest running kids program in the US. One of the many sidekicks of the Captain was Mr. Green Jeans, who was a farmer/handyman and wore overalls in green denim._

_thanks for reading! Alf_


	19. Chapter 19

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. Too bad no profit is being made from this little endeavor, ah well.**

**To Deb, Jaime, Kate Manoso, Luisa and Melody you have been amazing and inspiring, and yes, once again in alpha order. Thank you.**

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 19 ****♣**** May Part 3**

The next day he sent me an e-mail that was marked high priority. It asked one question. It read, "Do you think all guilty pleasures have to be illegal, immoral or fattening? Come up to seven at noon to discuss over lunch."

After I read that line, my face turned red and I got all hot. I had to stand up from my desk and get some water from the break room. I wasn't sure what I thought about that. I mean, it had been drilled into me from the time I was a kid that anything that was fun was off limits. If it was fun it was going to lead to trouble, the confessional and probably some form of consequence.

For the immoral part, lord knows that when I was with Morelli, there was always the undercurrent of guilt that we weren't married and you didn't do certain things unless or until you were married. Besides, I am pretty sure we did a lot of things that would have been on the banned list even if we'd been married; good thing I didn't know where that list was or I'd have been in trouble for sure.

Illegal well that was probably some of the breaking and entering I'd done and just not been caught. I had only investigated Ranger's apartment the one time. It was a guilty pleasure because I'd only found the one pair of boxers and those set off a long series of fantasies.

Fattening? Actually I'd been lucky that the fattening part wasn't catching up with me, yet. But if given a choice between low fat and good for you versus high calorie and incredible flavor, there was never a contest. Yep, fattening was definitely a good time.

After I got my breathing under control and my heartbeat to slow down I returned to my desk. There was nothing to worry about. This was just a 'discussion' with Ranger. Usually his discussions actually had words; that is unless he wanted to 'talk' about something outside of the bonds office, which meant he wanted to kiss me. Since I wasn't working for Vinnie at the moment, there were no 'talks' or 'discussions' in the alley and I missed the contact.

I tried to get a couple more searches done and even set my appointment alarm for noon to make sure I was there. The next thing I knew it was 11:45. Where had the time gone? I gathered my courage and headed to seven.

The lunch had been provided by Ella, of course. She was better than most restaurants, faster than most take out, and probably the healthiest choice around. It was two gorgeous salads with some kind of vinaigrette dressing and lots of healthy goodies like chopped almonds and dried cranberries. I hated to admit it, but it was wonderful.

After lunch Ranger asked me the question, "Do you really think all guilty pleasures have to be illegal, immoral or fattening?"

"Yep. I was raised that way so for me it's true."

"Such a sad, limited view of the world, Babe," he said with a grin.

"Want to change my mind?" I asked. The words tumbled out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying and probably what I was offering. As soon as I said the words I wanted to take them right back. I had just opened myself up to who knows what and this could be extremely dangerous to my morals and scruples. Fudge.

"I thought you'd never ask. I promise to be gentle and cause no rumors," he said with a smile. Crap. He must have heard the conversation with Tank back in January. Was nothing around this place private? Probably not, considering the phone taps, microphones and cameras just about everywhere and since he was the Wizard, he had access to all the feeds all the time.

We cleared the table and I thought we were going to go back downstairs to work. Instead he went into the kitchen and pulled out a gigantic old vegetable juicer, it was a Champion. He walked to the freezer and pulled out some bananas. He opened a cabinet and got a couple of small bowls and pulled two spoons out of the drawer.

"You feel like something better than ice cream, Babe?" he asked.

"Probably nothing is better than ice cream Ranger, except for chocolate or chocolate ice cream," I said.

"Well, that falls under the fattening portion of 'illegal, immoral or fattening' doesn't it?" he asked with a smile.

"Duh. Of course. Everyone knows that the really good stuff is really the bad stuff, if you know what I mean," I replied. I was mentally sticking my tongue out at him.

"Not everything that is rich tasting and that melts in your mouth is fattening, Babe."

Oh God. I hoped my face hadn't turned brilliant red.

He took the skins off of the bananas, put one of the bowls under the juicer and then put the first banana down the feed tube. Out came this yellowish white stuff that looked a lot like frozen yogurt.

The first bowl filled with one banana. He changed bowls and put the next one down the shoot.

"Let's take these to the living room, Babe," he said as he handed me one of the bowls and a spoon.

I followed him out of the kitchen into the living room. We sat next to each other on the sofa.

I was a little hesitant about how good a frozen banana could really taste. When anyone in my family or I froze bananas it meant that banana bread would be the offering, not some kind of a frozen dessert. I was stalling and he knew it, so he took the first bite. When he didn't die and didn't gag I thought it would be safe enough for me to try. Wait, this was a man who survived on twigs and berries; of course he wouldn't gag.

He was watching so I knew I was going to have to give it a try. I closed my eyes before the spoon went into my mouth. I was surprised. It was good. It was really good. It was rich, it was creamy. It was beyond words. Oh my god. I lost the power of speech and the ability to open my eyes. I kept them closed and rolled the stuff around the inside of my mouth and just let the flavor go everywhere.

I finally opened my eyes to see Ranger looking intently at me.

"So, I take it that this didn't live up to your expectations?" Ranger asked with a broad smile.

"Are you kidding me? I mean, if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it was possible. This is just a banana, right? You didn't put anything else into that machine did you?" I asked in awe of what was in the bowl before me.

"It's just a banana. Nothing more and nothing less," he said.

Wow. I've got to get myself one of those juicers. Wonder what they could do with frozen pears?

After it was gone, and I was looking for more of it, thank you very much, he spoke.

"Babe, not all pleasure is guilty. Just remember that," he said with a wink.

"I guess not." I thought. That was definitely something to think about.

I helped him clean out the machine and tidy the kitchen and we headed back down to the office.

♣♣ ♣

It was time for me to do the vocabulary lesson thing with Hector and follow it with range time.

Prepping Hector for the TOEFL reminded me of studying for the SAT exams in high school; long and boring but a necessary evil. When I had looked over the materials initially I knew this stuff was going to be important to him, but I really sort of thought he'd do a class somewhere to prep. Ranger's scheduling and client needs didn't make those things possible, so I continued to be pressed into service.

I decided to put myself back on the throne as Czarina, yep engage full denial mode. Scepter, tiara and throne, I couldn't forget about the skimpy outfits on the cabana boys, could I? Denial was the only way I was going to get through 'alone' time with Hector and keep my hormones in check.

We'd had another little 'talk' about that weekend and miscommunications. He promised to leave the cameras on, it had been an experiment he said. He also promised to keep his hands and his lips to himself, at the least at work. That didn't stop him from pressing his legs up against mine when we were 'working' in a conference room; turned out Hector was a literalist and it could well be my undoing. I decided that I didn't want to be alone with him outside of work for the time being either; it was easier and safer.

Because I managed to get our time limited and pretty public, Hector buckled down and worked really hard. His comprehension levels went up each time we met. It seemed that he really was as smart as Lester had told me, probably smarter. Also it seemed he was also pretty darned motivated.

He found a place that did some of the training on line, so they could do the reading/writing bit with him but listening and knowing what he heard was better with a live person. We spent most of our time doing the auditory stuff; he could practice the reading and writing on his own.

It seemed that Hector was doing with me what I was doing with Ranger. He would look for topics of conversation where he could build his vocabulary and we could get to know each other better. Hector was trying to find common ground to build the foundation of a friendship. I liked that.

♣♣ ♣

Damn hormones. I was probably going to have to resort drastic measures. Yep, that meant exercise. I was probably going to have to exercise to keep the raging hormones under control. If this kept up, and I really didn't want to take such a drastic measure, I was going to be putting in some pretty serious gym time. The problem with me and gym time, other than actually getting there, was that there was virtually always an audience. Despite my audience awareness, or lack of awareness, sometimes I'd strip off my shirt and get down to the sports bra; then I'd remember that I was providing a free show. The guys wouldn't say anything, but they would grin at me for a couple of hours afterwards. Jeesh.

As a stop gap measure to ensure I could control my hormones, exercise or not I made sure I kept plenty of TastyKakes in my desk drawer. I decided that I also needed to have some mini candy bars that I could just pop in my mouth in case of an emergency. Tank would probably be the only other person in the office to fully understand the gravity of a chocolate emergency. The problem was if I used the stop gap too much, I'd have to go to the gym anyway. I wound up having to pop one to two mini candy bars right before each session with Hector. I also had to pop a couple if I knew I was going to be alone with Ranger. It was medicinal, really.

♣♣ ♣

Bobby was bound and determined that I was going to go to Boy Scout camp this summer. Just what I always wanted, quality alone time with a bunch of eleven year olds and a couple of 'adults' who were about as emotionally mature as eleven year olds. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he'd want me there. I couldn't make it through the manual's table of contents without snoring.

Bobby hadn't talked about doing the whole manners thing and I didn't really want to teach etiquette to a bunch of eleven year olds. I think Ranger was trying to give me a reason to say 'yes' and teaching a bunch of boys about 'please' and 'thank you' was enough to make me make sure I didn't go to camp.

What for the love of Mike was he really thinking? One week with me and Bobby would have a bunch of confirmed bachelors on his hands. I couldn't believe he wanted to subject a bunch of little kids to that. Jeesh.

Evidently Bobby also thought that if I went as one of the 'adults', I had to be versed in some of the merit badges. OK, I was willing to work on the leatherwork or the swimming merit badges; I liked to swim and maybe I'd get a great belt out of one of the guys working on the leatherwork badge. Nope, he and Ranger decided that the Rifle and Shotgun merit badges were more up my alley. I was convinced they were wrong, and I still hadn't committed to going. I still had a couple of months to make up my mind one way or the other.

A couple of days later I was assigned to work with Bobby on the range. I hated range time with Bobby and he knew it. I didn't hate him, but he wasn't my best coach, Tank was. Tank knew how to teach me. Lester knew how to tease me and get me calm enough to shoot some decent groups. Hector knew how to off balance me and tried to keep me aware of my surroundings. Ranger set off every hormone in my body and I couldn't get a damned thing done on the range when I was with him. Bobby? Bobby knew how to push my buttons, even though he never really tried. There must have been a support group for all the ex-girlfriends he had over the years.

Bobby had been on his best behavior since the camping trip and was keeping his foot out of his mouth. Needless to say, our conversations tended to be brief and directed at whatever the subject or project at hand was. It was easiest on us both that way.

"So Bobby, are we ready to rock today?" I asked

He grinned and took the towel off the table and said, "Sure Bomber and you're just gonna love this. We are going to play with rifles today. You are going to use one of the easiest. It's called a Ruger 10/22. You need to know this stuff for 'your' merit badge."

Great. Something I always wanted to learn and something I'd wanted to 'earn'. Not.

He picked the thing up off the table and talked about how it was similar to my .38 and how it was different. After we got done with the lecture, he put out a target, at least this one was a bunch of circles; several paper men were going to lose their lives today. I did surprisingly well with it but it didn't mean I liked the thing.

♣♣ ♣

After I got done, I went back to my cube and checked in with Ranger.

"Have dinner with me tonight?" he asked. I nodded curious if I was going to be getting Mr. Manners or the Wolf. My body was voting for the Wolf, screaming its vote actually.

"I'll meet you in about half an hour on seven. I've got some stuff to finish up here first," he said before he kissed me on the cheek.

I stopped by my place on four to do some minor touching up before I met him on seven. I really had missed the Wolf and was hoping for a visit with him. Ella had already set out dinner by the time I made it up stairs and let myself into the apartment.

Tonight the table was set beautifully, as usual. There were even flowers from the roof organized into a centerpiece. What really caught my attention was the small wrapped present next to the place I normally sat.

I had just noticed the present when Ranger came out of his bedroom in nothing but a pair of drawstring pants and an unbuttoned shirt. His eyes were dancing and he was looking very pleased with himself. He knew I had seen the present, and I knew he knew I knew.

"After dinner, you can open it," he said with his eyes twinkling.

Whatever it was just had to be good. In fact, I was so excited about what it might be that I could hardly bring myself to eat. It looked too big to be jewelry and too small to be clothing. Definitely it was too small and the wrong shape to be shoes. I wondered what the world it could be. It was the right size to be a box of gourmet chocolates. That had to be it.

We made plans to go to the garden center the next day. He liked one in particular because they didn't 'force' the flowers to bloom early so they'd sell.

He said, "Some things are special and you should be able and willing to wait for them; things you force before they're ready usually don't last or live up to their promise."

Wow. Wonder what he meant by that? It was easier to take it at face value. No point in reading more into it than there was.

"So it's a reputable place then?" I asked. I was trying to keep up with the conversation and sound interested.

"The best. I think you'll like it," he said.

Dinner would have been amazing, but I was so worked up over the package I didn't notice anything I put in my mouth. I actually passed on Ella's apple pie because I wanted to get to the package.

"Are you sure you want to pass on that, Babe? You might need the sugar later," he said.

What was he meaning about that? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Did I really want to know?

We did the basic after dinner clean up and when I couldn't stand it anymore, Ranger finally took the package and had me sit with him on the sofa.

I finally felt the package, definitely not the right weight to be the chocolate I had been saving room for, it was too heavy.

He just nodded his head to me and I opened it.

A leather bound book. Nothing printed on the side I opened. My heart started to race. It couldn't be a copy of the Kama Sutra, could it? It wasn't love poetry, was it? I really hoped it wasn't a leather bound journal, I hadn't written one since I was in high school and then I did it for precisely two days. Val found it and read it out loud to all of her friends, it stopped my dreams of ever being a writer.

The volume felt stuck in my hands and I was unable to turn it right way around. I felt a mixture of emotions; fear and excitement. Yep, that's me, a deer caught in headlights.

Ranger took it out of my hands and turned the book right way around so I could read the cover, _A Tale of Two Cities _by Charles Dickens. I was supposed to read this either in high school or college but couldn't remember doing it. Shit. This just couldn't be right, since I graduated from college I just did the magazine thing, you know Reader's Digest and Cosmo. Ok Reader's Digest when I was at the dentist's office and Cosmo was like the single girl's bible.

I smiled as I gave him a soft kiss and said, "Thank you. This is completely unexpected." No kidding, no tingling, no thrills and, probably worst of all, no melty goodness of chocolate satisfaction either. Oh well.

"You've wanted to know more about me, right?"

I just nodded. "Right. But this doesn't follow with my image for you," I started to say.

"We've already talked about me not being one dimensional character that you've just made up. That's just an image, Babe," he said. "Perception is reality to the perceiver, but it isn't necessarily the truth. I have always loved to read. I like to keep my mind active as well as my body." With that, the wolfish smile was back. God, I loved that smile.

He continued, "You know last year I was the head of the book club."

I couldn't wait and I had to interrupt him. "Wait. Mercenaries R Us has a book club?"

"It's just a regular book club."

"It just seems so out of character for you. I mean I know you read poetry from time to time but a book club?" I asked. My head was beginning to hurt just trying to imagine it.

"Babe, it isn't just me. I joined with Lester a couple of years ago."

"Lester? Lester told me that he only reads comic books that have super heroes in them or naked women. In fact he told me he prefers the ones that only have the naked women," I said.

"Actually, Lester has a degree in English literature from NYU. He tells people that he only reads the comics now because he wasn't allowed to as a kid. Do you want to hear this story or not?" he asked.

"I'm sorry. Of course I want to hear it. I just didn't think of Lester that way before. Please go on," I said with a truly apologetic sound in my voice.

"Lester and I were finishing a job in New York City and we saw Hairspray after it was over."

I couldn't stop myself, I had to interrupt, "You went to see 'Hairspray'? You and Lester saw a musical?"

Where the hell were the bylaws and the scripts I had for all these guys? It just couldn't be possible that Lester and Ranger did musicals? The world seemed to be spinning out of control.

"I actually love musicals. Where was I when you went anyway?" I asked.

"With Morelli," he said.

I looked down and all I could think to say was, "Oh."

"Anyway, Lester and I discussed keeping our minds active on things that went beyond just strategy. Lester had missed what he called 'real reading' and was looking for an excuse. I had mostly just done reading that pertained to work when I left school and had never really gotten into 'real reading'. He found a book club that was close to the office and we decided to join together. End of story," he said.

"So will you tell me about the book and the book club?" I asked, hoping I was getting my foot out of my mouth.

I had a feeling I was trying the patience of a saint and was hoping not to be martyred as a result.

"We meet about once a month to review a book we've all either just read or are reading. Everyone has to participate. It isn't like college where you have to dissect everything, I mean you can if you want, and Lester usually does," he said. Wow, he really got into this stuff. "But it can also just be what you liked or hated about a book or a character.

"It can be relaxing to just disappear into a book; sometimes the rest of the world just goes away and you find yourself completely transported to another place or time. It was how I escaped some of the stuff I saw growing up and later in the service."

"Do you want to talk about any of those things? I mean I can be a great listener if you need one," I said sincerely. I really meant it. I wanted to be there for him if and when he ever needed it. He'd been there for me whenever I needed him. That's what friends, or whatever we were, were for, right?

He squeezed my shoulder and said, "Nope. Right now everything's OK. My world is a pretty ordered place. Things are pretty much where and how they need to be; but I'll take you up on the offer if I need to later, OK?"

He placed a gentle kiss on my temple and with that Mr. Manners was evidently back. Guessed I shouldn't have gotten him to talk about his past. Oh well.

He got off the sofa and said, "Let's go get comfortable."

Huh? I was just fine where I was. I wanted to keep his mood up, I just agreed.

He took my hand and the book as we walked into the bedroom.

With a smile he said, "Take off your shoes and get on your own side."

Woo hoo! The Wolf it is! I sat up on the bed, not sure where he was going with all of this, but sort of hoping where it was going. There was no automatic 'stopping' mechanism in place. I decided that just breathing for now would work. If I had to figure out something else, I could do that when the time came. Yeah and I've taught pigs to sing 'Jingle Bells'.

He took off his own shoes and sat at the head of the bed, and turned on the lamp on his nightstand.

"The meeting when we discuss this book is next week, Thursday. Do you have plans, Babe?" he asked.

"No, no plans. Are you sure you want me there with those kinds of people? I mean I haven't done a lot of heavy reading since college. I don't know if I'd be able to keep up."

"You'll be just fine, promise," he said. "I'd really like it if you'd come with me."

Well since he put it that way I found myself saying, "I'd love to go."

There was a very soft kiss between us and then he opened the book. Wait. This isn't the way it's supposed to go! Is it? Well, maybe it is. If nothing starts, nothing has to be ended and no one gets disappointed. I didn't want to be disappointed. Did I?

He opened the book and started to read to me.

He read, "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens." Then he cleared his throat before he proceeded.

"**It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."**

That was it. That's all I heard. The next sound I heard was Ranger's alarm clock going off at 5:30.

"You know what?" he asked. "Bobby was right. It is kind of fun to see what it'll take to get you to fall asleep."

I groaned. I would have thrown a pillow at him but that would have required moving and I was too groggy to move.

"How much did you read to me?" I asked peeved at myself for having fallen asleep. This was kind of like the Boy Scout manual all over again. Before he could answer I said, "Sorry about that. Your voice is nice, low and melodic. I guess it's a kind of a sleeping pill for me."

"So any man's voice that is 'nice, low and melodic' can get you to sleep with him?" he teased.

I sat up at that point deciding it was time to find a pillow to launch at his head. He was doing the whole ESP thing again because he grabbed my hands and stopped me. He moved in for a _very_ good morning kiss. I was really starting to enjoy it when his phone rang. Didn't anyone have any respect for our, I mean, his privacy?

"Be there in ten," he said curtly to the phone.

"Duty calls, Babe. If you want to go running or to the gym, you can and then you can tell me all about it when you get back," he continued his teasing as he headed to the bathroom.

"Nah. Think I'll go home and get changed. I'm working for a hard ass who has a problem if I'm late to work," I said to the bathroom door.

I headed to the fourth floor to do a preliminary clean up before I went home to finish the rest of the beautification process.

I blew a kiss at the cameras when I got to the parking garage and was off.

_A/N: The banana thing does work in the Champion Juicers (I don't know if they are still made or not, but they are workhorses). I am not sure about other brands, you'll have to try on your own._

_Also: If you are worried about a real and true dissection of Tale of Two Cities, you can breathe easy, it won't be happening. Promise._

_Thanks for reading! Alf._


	20. Chapter 20

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. Some day, money will be trading hands for this, but not today. Oh well.**

**To Deb, Jaime, Kate Manoso, Luisa and Melody you have amazed me with your insight and the gentleness with which you have kept me on track and afloat! Thank you all, so very much.**

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 20 ****♣**** May Part 4**

I sent Ranger an e-mail from home to see if he'd be OK if I just worked the morning at the office and started the book that afternoon. I couldn't remember having read the book and it was feeling a little cumbersome to me. When I finished college, I never planned to pick up any of the 'classics' again. Oh well, this was part of horizon expansion with Ranger; it was what he wanted so it was what we were going to do.

He sent an e-mail back that he'd let the office know I was telecommuting for the day and I even got excused from range practice with Lester. There was no mention of Hector and the daily study session. I guessed that if Hector wanted to work on his stuff, he would have to make his own arrangements with me himself.

The last paragraph of the e-mail said, "Proud of you for taking the initiative to read the book. I've read it several times. Let me know if you want to go over stuff as you go."

OK. I spent three hours doing the forwarded searches from my living room. I got up, stretched, yawned and decided it was time to feed the beast.

I decided to kill two birds with one stone, hunger and the work of reading. A bit of ice cream always made me think better, so I prepared with a spoon and a carton of Ben & Jerry's Brownie Batter at my side. I turned on a lamp by the sofa, grabbed a couple of pillows from the bed and tried to get comfortable.

An hour later I opened my eyes and realized most of the ice cream had melted and I still hadn't gotten beyond the first sentence. Shit. I decided to look at it this way, it couldn't get much worse. I was reading this to make Ranger happy and my future wasn't going to be based on whether or not I understood the story in depth or in detail; I just had to get through the damned thing.

I read the first line like six times and I kept coming up with the same thoughts.

1. Had no one thought of using a grammar checker?

2. Was the whole book one big run on sentence?

3. Was all great literature depressing?

4. Did I have anything else in the freezer?

5. Wasn't there a movie I could rent that covered this same stuff? Would anyone notice if I did that instead of reading it?

6. Was my head going to explode if I continued to read this book?

I decided to take fate into my own hands. I cleaned up the melted ice cream, returned the pillows to the bedroom and looked for the phone. I dialed and was answered in two rings.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself. Hey Ranger, I'd like to know if your offer to help me with this book is still available," I said.

"Sure thing. Just tell me how far you've gotten so I'll be sure to have reviewed to at least that point when I see you."

"The first sentence," I whispered.

"Ok. I know I've got that part down. I'll come by late this afternoon. Want to do dinner after?"

"Sure. Thanks."

I was getting ready to say something more when I realized I was going to be talking to dead air.

I needed a change of pace. So I picked up my sketch pad and a pencil and sat on the fire escape. I hadn't doodled much since my time with Tank, and missed it. I decided just to let my mind go and let the pencil draw whatever it wanted to. Twenty minutes later my mind was soothed and the paper had a drawing of some fairly distinguishable stuff, just shapes of buildings and a few trees. I still didn't think I had a talent for this stuff, but I felt better after a few minutes of it. I probably should get with Tank and pick up my lessons with him in June, it was going to be lonely after all of my 'months' with the guys were over.

It was time to go back to doing searches for the office but knew I couldn't put off the 'classics' much longer. I was getting ready to Google the book when I heard a knock on the door. I didn't bother with using the peephole, I just opened it. It was Hector. After the requisite kiss at the door, I ushered him in.

"Hey, what brings you by?" I asked.

"I wanted to see if you were OK, you weren't at the office today. Are you sick? Can I get something for you?" he asked. He looked honestly concerned. He actually put his hand to my forehead and my cheek to check my temperature like he was my mother; the concern was sweet. Evidently he hadn't checked his e-mail.

"Nope, just working from home and trying to read this," I said.

I passed Hector the book. He studied it and thought about it and then he smiled.

"I read it a long time ago. I didn't think you read this kind of book. Why are you reading it now?" he asked.

"Ranger is part of a book club and he wants me to go with him to talk about this book. It's boring and I am having a hard time getting into it. I'd rather see if there is a movie, but that would be cheating and I promised to actually read it."

He smiled as he asked, "You don't cheat?"

"No, I don't cheat. When I say I will do something, I do it. I honor my promises. At least I try," I said sounding exasperated.

"Good to know," he started. He leaned into me and kissed me gently and asked, "Are you cheating now? We aren't at the office."

"No, we're not at the office. And no boyfriend, so it's not cheating." I made air quotes around the word boyfriend.

"Good," and with that, he kissed me much more deeply. Just as I was starting to enjoy myself, he backed away.

"What kind of aftershave or cologne do you use?" I blurted out. I couldn't help but notice he was smelling good again.

"What?"

"You smell good, what do you use?" I asked, feeling sort of stupid.

"Nothing but soap, the rest is just me," he said with a smile.

Now I knew I was screwed. My body was responding to his pheromones better than to Ranger's Bulgari. Shit, there was no chocolate in the house.

"I looked at your door and window the other day," he said.

"Yeah, I noticed. What's up with that?" Looked like we were both going to let the whole 'you smell good' conversation die, thank God.

"I was thinking about you that weekend, how you had no privacy," he said. "These locks don't give you privacy. Anyone can get in. I know you don't worry about safety, but what about privacy?"

"Right now I don't have anything I need to keep private," I said. "So why bother?"

"Nothing? Are you sure about that? You want Lester or Bobby to come in when you are changing your clothes or while you are in the shower?" he asked with a smile.

"OK. I'd like to be able to do those things in private. But it's never been much of an issue before, really," I said.

I thought about when Joe broke in to get his distributor cap back and wound up attaching me to the shower curtain rod and then Ranger had to pick the locks to rescue me. Then there was that time when Ranger was FTA and kept breaking into my place in the middle of the night, usually scaring the wits out of me. I could feel my face burning and thought 'You know, he's right. I really don't have any privacy around here.'

"Why are you so worried about my privacy all of a sudden?" I finally asked.

"I told you, I have sisters," he said still smiling. I knew damn well he was thinking about the morning at the B&E when we kept getting 'visitors'. I still had mixed feelings about the visitors we had; it had proved to be a mixed blessing.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" I asked.

"Since we got back," he said quietly.

Oh.

"I've been looking at lock sets, good ones. I will order some for you and install them, if you will accept them," he said.

Nice. He gave me an option and wasn't going to try to foist a new lock set on me if I didn't want it.

"What will I owe you to do this?" I asked.

"Nothing. I do it because I want to," he said. He moved a little closer to me and gave me a very delectable kiss and in a low voice he said directly into my ear, "You could think of the locks as a present."

Hey they might not be flowers, but it would be a gift I'd have for a long, long time. At least as long as I lived here, then I could take the locks off and take them wherever I decided to move next.

"I can't accept something like that from you. They're too expensive a gift. I have to do something for you in exchange," I said.

"No. You didn't ask. I offered. I want to. It's important," he said looking like he was going to move in for another kiss. Then all of a sudden, and for no apparent reason, he backed two steps away.

It was as if on cue, I heard the sound of locks tumbling and turned to see Ranger standing in the doorway.

"Babe, I got done early and I thought," Ranger said stopping in mid sentence. "Babe, what's Hector doing here?"

"He wanted to see if I was OK, just checking on me. Turns out he's read the _Tale of Two Cities_, too. Seems I am the only one in our little group who hasn't read it yet," I said. I was rambling, but I was a little rattled. Something about Temptation 1 and Temptation 2 in the same room at the same time did that to me.

"English?" Ranger asked to Hector.

"Spanish, for school," Hector said.

Ranger moved to sit on one of the chairs and the two started speaking in Spanish about something, probably the book. It was looking like they were having a good time of it and it would be a while. It was nice to see them talking to each other with me in the room and not look like they were wanting to tear each other apart. It was peaceful and would have been nice if I had been able to understand the conversation.

I interrupted to ask if anyone wanted something to drink. Nobody heard me, so I excused myself, went to the fridge and got out three bottles of water. I gave one to each of the guys, neither of them seemed to have noticed. They were engrossed in their own little world.

I sat and watched the conversation just sipping my water. About half an hour later I excused myself and went to the bathroom to freshen up, again no one knew I was even gone. It was sort of like I had become a ghost in my own home. I was just getting ready to pick up the remote control to turn on the TV when they finally figured out I was still there.

"Proud of you, Babe," Ranger said.

"What? Why? What in the world are you talking about?" I asked Ranger. A few minutes before I had decided it was a good time to go to the mental beach and play in the surf and sand; it was disappointing to be dragged back.

"Proud of you for finally letting Hector put better locks on your place. He said it was something you've been talking about and how you're becoming more aware of your safety," Ranger said.

Oh, really? Now it was about my safety? Ranger was looking pleased with me and Hector was looking pleased with himself.

"Well, it's been brought up before. Safety and privacy are both important things. But now I'm thinking I may not be able to cover the cost of them. Hector's got expensive taste in locks and things," I said. 'Take that, both of you,' I thought as I mentally stuck my tongue out at both of them.

"The company will cover the cost, not a problem. They can be written off as 'samples' or something. Accounting will take care of it," Ranger said still very happy.

Hector was about to break out laughing. Thankfully, he didn't.

"Hector, make sure you make spare keys for Steph, me and the control room. You never know who will need to come over to pick stuff up from her place," Ranger said with a smile.

He may have figured out what Hector's motivation. Who knows? All I knew was that my 'privacy' might be protected better from the various stalkers, but probably nothing would change for me with the Rangemen. They all knew how to work Hector's key duplication machine and had easy access to it.

Hector made his excuses and told me that he'd see me tomorrow. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.

"Babe," Ranger started.

I just knew it had to be about the stupid kiss. "What? He's kissed me hello and goodbye for a couple of months. It's just how he is. No big deal," I said.

"Actually what I was going to say was that if you'd asked, we would have put better locks on your place a long time ago. I know you aren't hot on the actual security systems and the cameras we could put in, but I'll give you anything I can in my power," he said.

I went to the chair he was sitting in and gave him a kiss on his cheek to acknowledge what he'd just said.

We did the book thing for over an hour, felt like forever though. It seemed like we spent most of the time on the first sentence. This time I managed to stay awake. We stopped when the noise coming from my stomach was almost as loud as Ranger's voice.

He shut the book we had both been reading and got up.

"Time to feed you, let's go."

We did dinner at a little place he knew that specialized in raw foods. I decided that since I was expanding my horizons, that this would count and I wouldn't complain. Besides after he went home I could make a pastry or pizza run if I really needed to.

Ranger had looked at the menu like it was heaven come to Trenton. I looked at it like there was nothing edible in the whole place. In the end I let Ranger order something that wasn't too terribly healthy for me. I mean I could expand my horizons, but only so much right now.

The food was actually pretty good, but I don't do that many raw vegetables in an entire month so I knew I'd need both Bean-o and some Tums for the tummy.

After dinner, he saw me to my door saying he had an early morning meeting and did I need another day or so alone with the book?

I decided going to work would be a better use of my time.

He did the ritual sweeping of my apartment for potential bad guys, kissed me softly and left.

♣♣ ♣

I sat on the sofa and thought about my early 20s. When I was in college I specialized in shooting pool, frat parties and air guitar, and in that order. Oh yeah, I did get a piece of paper proving to the world that I had a degree in business. I remembered one of my English professors talking about something called "Master Plots"; a series of books that had summaries of important pieces of literature. I was going to go to the library the next day after work to see if those books actually existed.

Master Plots did exist. I photocopied the couple of pages that had information on the book. It made it much easier to follow the story. I'd tried to Google the book on the web but got a lot of gibberish and crap, ultimately old fashioned books were easier.

Master Plots didn't feel like cheating because I had to read it to use it – and I used it to actually read the book. Reading was what I wound up doing the Saturday and Sunday. There were no phone calls, no break ins and no dinners with family; I was trying to get it finished. I went through a lot of coffee. I did finish 'reading' but not comprehending the book, mostly it didn't click or stick. Mostly it looked like a bunch of words swimming on a page, taunting me. I found a copy of an old movie version at the library and checked it out. The movie made the book click for me, sort of, that wasn't cheating, was it?

♣♣ ♣

I talked to Hector on Monday when we were working on his vocabulary stuff. I told him that for now, we needed to leave any kissing to kisses on the cheek either in public or in private. I was confused about what was going on with him and because somehow any of the extra kissing was feeling like cheating. I had no one to cheat on, but it felt like cheating all the same.

He looked a little chastised and reluctantly agreed. "For now," was the only thing he would say.

♣♣ ♣

The day of the book club finally came. Ranger had asked me to dress about the same way I had for the afternoon I spent with Tank at the art galleries. Nice. Nothing flashy. Conservative. _Boring_. We were also going to do something for the majority of the afternoon, another of his guilty pleasures; a conservative guilty pleasure. Oh boy. This didn't make any sense, a _conservative_ guilty pleasure? Sounded like an oxymoron to me just like 'military intelligence'. Well, it was his horizon and he'd promised it was going to be gentle, so figured I'd find a way to cope.

I worked myself into a tizzy. I changed clothes three times and pulled almost everything out of my closet, looked at each piece and rejected them all several times. In the end I wore a mid-length, black skirt, conservative shirt and flats, did minimal makeup, I even pulled my hair into a soft braid. So not my regular look, but I wanted him to be happy.

He had on a nice long sleeved button down shirt, the thread count on the fabric was like his sheets and felt heavenly, the pants and shoes were perfectly fitted black affairs, no surprise there. He looked calm and collected, as per his usual. I collected my book and purse and then we were off.

We did lunch at a Korean place that ran heavy on the lemon grass and cilantro. The restaurant had great food but the neighborhood was just plain scary. Ranger knew the owner and Rangeman did the security for them. There were some neighborhoods where Rangeman cut their rates to keep crime down and give peace of mind to the business owners, this place was in one of those neighborhoods.

I didn't often think about Ranger being armed, he was always armed, but this was one time when I was really glad that he was prepared for anything.

After lunch he drove us to small library in the neighborhood. OK, evidently this was literary Ranger day.

"Babe, not every guilty pleasure has to do with food," he said.

"I hadn't even been thinking about guilty pleasures Ranger," I said. I really hadn't for a whole five minutes until he mentioned the phrase and then all I could think of was all the forbidden things I wanted to do to his body. Ah ... it would have been a long list that I was willing to explore at great length under the right circumstances. No such luck, at least not today.

We got out of the car and headed for the library's information desk. The woman sitting behind it was in her mid 40s and looked very competent. OK dowdy, she looked dowdy, but I wasn't going to say that. The woman didn't fluster or blush when Ranger approached her, evidently his charms weren't needed in a library to get what he wanted.

"Carlos, we're so glad you could join us today," said the librarian.

"Not at all Florence, I look forward to this, it's a nice break from my schedule. I wouldn't miss reading this book to these kids if I could possibly avoid it," he said. His voice had a tone to it I couldn't place, it was very happy but also very calm.

"Everything is set out for you just like you like it," she said. "I'll be around if you need me."

"It'll all be fine. Thanks as always," he said.

I was wondering what was going on, but I kept my mouth shut and followed Ranger like the trained puppy I was.

We went around a little corner to the children's section. In the middle of the room sitting out was a pair of adult chairs, several bean bags and a book. The book was "_The House at Pooh Corner"._

"Ranger, what's going on?" I asked.

"I usually read here twice a month. Most of the kids' parents don't read or speak English and so the kids are missing out on a lot of great stuff. My folks didn't have a lot, but they brought us to the library so we could borrow the books they couldn't buy. Anyway, Winnie the Pooh is a classic in most of the English speaking world and phrases from it will be part of their lives forever. I just think it is nice for the kids to hear some of the phrases where they actually came from.

"If I'm in the wind Hal or one of the other guys takes over so the kids aren't disappointed. It is a great team building thing and the guys get to let their hair down for a little while.

"Besides, I didn't get to read much to Julie when she was little. When I read to them I pretend Julie is still that age and sitting in the crowd with her friends and I am reading to them. This is my own way of paying penance," he said.

Wow.

I reached over and grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. He squeezed back and then he opened the book. Evidently he had read the book many times, but he wanted to pre-read it just to make sure it was effortless for the kids.

About ten kids about the ages of five to seven rolled in over the next several minutes for Story Time. Ranger waited until the designated time and asked if everybody was comfortable. I had been standing up next to him while we were waiting for the kids. Ranger sat in one of the adult chairs and I took the other, I had assumed it was for me.

Ranger read the story of _Pooh Bear and the Blustery Day_. Not only did he read it well, but he used a different voice for each of the characters. It was a story that I had loved as a kid and my grandfather used to read it to me when I was good. I would be rotten most of the day, but I made sure to clean up my act before he got home so he knew _how good_ I had been all day.

If Ranger read to his nieces and nephews they got a great treat; Julie really did miss out on something amazing. He was magnificent. He never missed a beat or a nuance. I found myself just as spell bound and captivated as the kids. I remembered him saying he didn't need handcuffs to enslave a woman, evidently all he needed was a volume of Winnie the Pooh and I was a goner.

After he finished the chapter Story Time was over. Ranger and I returned the room to what would have been its normal condition. He returned the book to the librarian at the information desk and told her he would see her the same time the next month and they'd do another chapter.

We drove to a park not too far from where we were and walked around the man made pond. Actually it wasn't so much of a walk as a mosey; we took our time and just sort of people watched. Ranger was on high alert, as always, but no one else would have known that from his body language.

After the second lap around the pond, I was wondering if I had worn the wrong outfit. I had definitely worn the wrong shoes for any more walking. Without a word, he aimed us back to the car. He had Ella put some snack type food in a basket before we left. It was snack food for Ranger, fruit and nuts, but not to me, no bad carbs and no bad cholesterol. He preferred not to eat heavily before the book club meetings; he said some of them could be a little boring and a heavy meal made him want to sleep through the evening.

We sat in silence for several minutes. It was calm and peaceful if you looked at us, but we were both thinking deep thoughts. I don't know what his were, the ESP fairy forgot me so I was on my own. He was so lost in his own thoughts I didn't even think he remembered I was in the car.

My own thoughts were much more focused on what the evening was going to bring. I was sort of curious what kinds of people I'd be meeting. I couldn't figure out if they were potential clients, current clients, members of his church (hey, did Ranger even go to church?) or business partners? I wasn't really comfortable quizzing him about the group, I figured I'd just kind of take them as they came and not put a lot of extra value on it.

♣♣ ♣

We wound up at a house that looked like it could have been in the Burg. It was neat and tidy with a well manicured front lawn. It should have made me feel more comfortable, but it didn't. It was hauntingly familiar.

Lester was just getting out of his car when we pulled up; he was dressed pretty much like Ranger was. I wasn't surprised that it had an effect on me; they both looked droolworthy. If everything else I had known about 'typical Rangemen' had been blown out of the water, this one thing was irrefutable; Rangemen could always be counted on to look scrumptious, even in SWAT black. I found myself thankful to a god who had engineered each and every one of them to be lustworthy and the stuff they write smut about; the kind of smut that required Woolite and a change of panties.

The book club was actually a pretty small group, just six regular members with others who floated in and out. They took turns nominating books to read. Technically someone was in charge, but they were more into free flowing exchange of ideas and books. Each meeting ideas were offered up for the next month and then a consensus was taken. If that was really true, how did they wind up with _A Tale of Two Cities_? Why couldn't they have done some Rex Stout or Lillian Jackson Braun; you know stuff that was fun to read.

I sat next to Ranger. Lester went over to sit next to the only other female, Emily. It turned out she was one of his former flings.

Before the meeting I talked with Emily a little. She and Lester had a 'discussion' about appropriate books a couple of months ago. She wanted to keep with classics; Lester had wanted to do something unexpected; he was the current president and wanted to shake things up. He wanted to do a book that had been on a bunch of banned lists in the first part of the 20th century: _Lady Chatterley's Lover_. Lester said any book that was worthy of being banned had to be good.

She couldn't come up with a good argument but got him to agree the next month would be _Pride and Prejudice_. Lester was disappointed that _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ wasn't nearly so racy as he thought it might be; turned out that 'romance novels' written today were a whole lot racier and then some. Lester was a good sport and did read _Pride and Prejudice_, he cast himself in the role of Mark Darcy. The two presented a united front and so those books were read by the whole group and in that order.

Overall, it was a nice evening. Everyone minded their manners, even Lester. Ranger didn't get too involved in the discussion but he did ask his famous one word questions, "Why" "Elaborate" and the famous "Explain". He made some salient points proving that he had read the thing. I mostly kept my mouth shut, the answer, "what he said," just wasn't going to cut it with this group.

We went for a late supper with Lester and Emily after. We talked about how we thought it went. I still tried to keep quiet. I had felt very out of place all evening. I hadn't been a serious student and not a lot in my life was serious now (except for the work stuff). I hadn't contributed a lot to the conversation, I had kept up with it, but barely. I was much more comfortable with _The House on Pooh Corner; _right now I saw myself as Piglet, a little timid and shy and feeling out of my element. I just sort of drank my coffee and nodded my head. We decided to call it an evening. Lester wound up following Emily home to make sure she got there 'safely'. Right.

Ranger had been noticing my discomfort but didn't say much. He held my hand as we drove back to my apartment, periodically squeezing it. It had been quiet for too long when I finally decided to break the silence myself.

I asked him to stay and talk a little while so we could review the evening.

"Why do you really belong to a group like that?" I asked.

"It's good for me. It makes me push my mental limits and expand my tastes and interests. Why?" he responded.

"What do you mean 'it's good for me'? Cod liver oil is good for you, not necessarily book clubs," I said.

"Actually, there are a lot of things in this world that are good for you. I never finished college and will probably never go back. I'm not using that as an excuse not to continue my education. I need the support of a group to get certain things done. I can read classic books or famous authors on my own, but I don't."

"Really, I thought you were the master of self-discipline. I thought you didn't need anyone else to get things done or goals accomplished," I said somewhat shocked.

"Babe, I tried before and just didn't get anywhere with it. A group like this keeps you accountable. Besides, I've read a lot of stuff that I wouldn't have on my own. Do you really think I would have volunteered to read _Pride and Prejudice_?" he asked with a visible shiver.

"Hated it, did you? I saw the movie, yeah I know, I should read the book. Anyway, it struck me as being very 'chick'. I can't see you getting into it at all."

"Actually it was pretty good as a story, but the language was too flowery for my tastes. I am more of a Hemmingway kind of a guy. Simple structure, complex thoughts, great stories," he said with a smile.

"I don't really think that's ever going to be my cup of tea. If you have a magazine of the month club, we might have something there. I think they were nice people, but I'm not smart enough to hang with them," I said.

"Babe, you do know there are all kinds of smarts don't you? You may not play an instrument or program computers but you know how people think and what motivates them. You have more determination than anyone I know. If you want to do something, you do it, you always find a way. I am proud of you for that. Most people don't have that kind of tenacity," he said squeezing my hand.

We went to the car and headed back to my apartment. He had been a little distant since he'd admitted about not reading to Julie when she was a little kid. Actually, he was seeming to be more distant all of the time. We had reached a place where there were almost no kisses of any kind and even fewer that left me breathless. Most of the physical contact was evaporating altogether.

I knew we were just friends and not even friends _with benefits of any kind_ but I was missing what I'd had with him even though it was limited. Giving up the physical contact with Ranger was kind of like giving up chocolate; withdrawal was painful and I thought about it all of the time. I obsessed about it actually. I had put Ranger's available replacement in cold storage for now so I was back to _without anything_ all the way around. I was going to need to buy a new shower massager before the month ended. Seemed like my life was feast or famine when it came to men and whatever limited feasting there had been was now over, I was now in a famine.

_A/N: See, we have done The Tale of Two Cities and no one had to do a book report!_


	21. Chapter 21

**Standard disclaimers, blah, blah, blah. Some day, but not today, there will be fame, money and glory associated with this story and I'll be teaching pigs to sing in my backyard, too. Oh well.**

**To: Deb, Jaime, Kate Manoso, Luisa and Melody, I have learned from each of you and thank you for the joy you've given me.**

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 21 ****♣**** May Part 5**

Monday was Memorial Day and it was a special day for Ranger and all the guys at the company. They had a ritual of visiting the local VA to see some of the vets who were long term patients and had no other visitors. We each found someone and sat with, letting the men tell their stories. It was one of the most touching things I had ever seen or done. I was proud of all of them, the Rangemen and especially the vets who had given so much for those of us who could be so unaware.

I asked if this was one of Ranger's 'guilty pleasures' he told me there was no guilt about it, it was pure pleasure. He and all the guys got more out of visiting at the VA than they felt that they gave. I guessed there was nothing worse than being cooped up some place long term and never being acknowledge outside of the people who were paid to take care of you.

♣♣♣♣♣

Hector didn't really care about which days holidays fell when. He wanted to work on English. So despite the day off from work, we wound up having dinner; it was take out from somewhere close by. We spent the evening together in my apartment.

After we were done with eating and the daily lesson, Hector started fussing with a small book.

"Nena, can I read something to you?" he finally asked. "I saw it the other day and I thought of you."

"Of course, Canelo," I said, it's not like I would have said 'no' to him. It was just a poem. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

He opened the book and began to read a beautiful sounding poem to me. But then again, he could read just about anything that was written in Spanish and I would think it sounded beautiful. He read it smoothly and calmly, with just a hint of an emotion I couldn't name. I really wished I knew what he was reading.

_**A MADONA POESIA**_

_**Aqui a tus pies lanzada, pecadora,  
contra tu tierra azul, mi cara oscura,  
tú, virgen entre ejércitos de palmas  
que no encanecen como los humanos.**_

No me atrevo a mirar tus ojos puros  
ni a tocarte la mano milagrosa;  
miro hacia atrás y un río de lujurias  
me ladra contra tí, sin Culpa Alzada.

Una pequeña rama verdecida  
en tu orla pongo con humilde intento  
de pecar menos, por tu fina gracia,

ya que vivir cortada de tu sombra  
posible no me fue, que me cegaste  
cuando nacida con tus hierros bravos.

Well if he was looking for a way to get me to swoon, he found it. I would have swooned for days if this stuff kept up, it was pretty heady stuff. I'd never had poetry read to me before, I kind of liked it. I had no idea what he'd read to me, it could easily have been "See Dick run. Run Dick. See Jane play with the ball" and I would have responded the same way. I really needed to get a better grip on myself.

I asked him to tell me a little about it. Turned out that the poem was written by some woman named Alfonsina Storni. She was well reputed in Argentina and died in the 30s by drowning herself, so became better known as Alfonsina del Mar (Alfonsina of the Sea).

Before I had a lot of time to contemplate the poem, he closed the volume, kissed my forehead and sighed deeply.

"Deep thoughts?" I asked him.

No answer. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it as he closed his eyes. It seemed like he wanted us to be quiet for a while and just hold hands, so I was and we did. A few minutes later he said, "Nena, I really need to go now."

"Would you write the name of the author and the poem for me?" I asked him.

He did. I Googled the poem after he left and found an English translation of it. The poem read:

_**To My Lady of Poetry**_

_**I throw myself here at your feet, sinful, **_

_**my dark face against your blue earth, **_

_**you the virgin among armies of palm trees **_

_**that never grow old as humans do. **_

_**I don't dare look at your pure eyes **_

_**or dare touch your miraculous hand: **_

_**I look behind me and a river of rashness **_

_**urges me guiltlessly on against you. **_

_**With a promise to mend my ways through your **_

_**divine grace, I humbly place on your **_

_**hem a little green branch, **_

_**for I couldn't have possibly lived **_

_**cut off from your shadow, since you blinded me **_

_**at birth with your fierce branding iron. **_

Well, shit. What should I think about that? That poem was sort of like the song from the camping trip, I was happier not knowing what it meant. I hate being conflicted and I'm feeling conflicted right now. Should I be pleased by this poem, confused? Do I need to take this like he's trying to woo me? Is he showing off how smart he is in another language? I don't know and right now I don't want to know.

I guess that's another phrase to add to my growing list of phrases I wish I didn't hear or use so often:

Why me?

It's not my fault.

It's complicated.

We need to talk.

I'm feeling conflicted right now.

'Denial is my best friend,' I chanted to myself. 'Denial supports me when no one else will. Denial is always available for a quick escape.'

I thought that if I chanted it long enough, hard enough, I'd be able to deny what I thought this poem actually meant to Hector. This was one time when Denial abandoned me and I was left in the real world. No built guys in Speedos at the beach, no tiara and no scepter. Oh God.

Too bad all the shoes stores and Macy's were already closed. I could have used a new pair of shoes to distract me. A really nice pair of strappy sandals or a new pair of FMPs would have gone a long way towards taking my mind off of real life. Real life sucked some days.

♣♣♣♣♣

I had been going back on the roof periodically to help Ranger, but not as intensively as before. He sent me up a couple of times to 'harvest' various lettuces and other greens for salads. He thought that the stuff in the greenhouse was safer for me to harvest than the other stuff; I'd accidentally harvested some weeds the first time I was left on my own. I was embarrassed, but he told me he had done it once himself a long time ago. To quote Winnie the Pooh, "Oh bother."

Tuesday morning I got an e-mail from Tank that we were supposed to meet Ranger on the roof after lunch, it also said something about 'hot, sweaty and dirty'. Since I'd done the happy dance once about the idea of 'hot, sweaty and dirty' and been wrong, I knew I wouldn't be wrong this time. I sent an e-mail to Tank to let him know I was going to have to go home to get some grubbies to change into. I knew there was no way it was going to be the kind of 'dirty' my hormones were looking forward to.

The three of us made pots that looked very heavy, but were actually super light weight called hypertufa. The pots were a combination of Portland cement, vermiculite and peat moss. We mixed the stuff together and put it into molds that had been coated in WD40 so they'd release. The pots provided a place that could hold moisture and food for plants while adding a 'decorative' element to the garden.

Tank and I had a better time than Ranger. Ranger was very serious that everything be done 'right' and as perfectly as we could. Tank and I looked at it as a way to play in the mud without getting yelled at for it; it reminded me of playing with clay back in January. We had a much better time than Ranger, who in the end, didn't make as many pots as we did but made much prettier ones. In my mind, it was an afternoon well spent.

I thought to myself, "_It doesn't get better than this._ Good weather, good friends and a non-confrontational way to get out my frustrations. Kindergarten for adults, kind of nice.'

The fun we had together made me forget the business Rangeman was in and just how serious these guys could be. Why couldn't Ranger have started me on a project like this in the beginning? I would have found the whole rooftop garden thing to be much more fun.

♣♣♣♣♣

Thursday afternoon, he called me to his office about the possibility of 'hanging out' for a little bit that evening. Things had been slow for a couple of days and it sounded like a deal to me. He even threw in a Pino's pizza to sweeten the deal; well kind of sweeten the deal. It was half veggie, argh, and half edible, yum. He had been trying to convert me to eat more veggies, I'd tried to hold out, but he was having Ella sneak more and more of them into every meal I ate with him. I countered the veggies by having extra chocolate at my desk.

We sat on the sofa selecting pieces of pizza from 'our' own sides of the pie. God forbid we would have gotten a piece from the wrong side! My side might have been contaminated by veggies, yuck.

"Steph, would you indulge me in something?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" I asked.

"It doesn't fall under your categories for 'illegal, immoral or fattening' and isn't really a guilty pleasure," he said with a smile. With that he excused himself and he went into the bedroom and retrieved a couple of well worn books.

"I told you that I read a lot as a kid," he said looking at me. I just nodded. He went on, "I got a bunch of books from a flea market when I was around twelve about this guy called 'Doc Savage'. He was kind of the pre-super hero, he was a man who was trained from birth to fight evil. The stories were originally written in the 1930s and have been republished on a regular basis since then. Anyway, I loved the stories and the adventures. When I got a little older and fell in with a bad crowd I forgot about Doc Savage for a while. After I went into the military I ran into somebody who loved 'Doc Savage' and between the two of us we collected and read all of the books, there were a bunch of them.

"I knew I was never going to be that caliber of a man, but it was something to strive for. Nowadays there is too much information being published regularly to keep up with all those disciplines, but I could do my part to work on the side of right in society."

Looked like we were going to be playing 'To Tell The Truth' or some such thing. It wasn't making sense to me why he'd tell me all of this now.

He went on, "You remember how you told me that you wanted to be Wonder Woman when you were a kid?"

"Yeah."

"This is who I wanted to be," he said indicating the books in his hands. "It would mean a lot to me if you'd read them."

He didn't say please. This wasn't a question. This was a request from one friend to another.

"If I have questions about stuff or I don't get it, will you answer my questions?" I asked.

"Of course," he said.

"Good. This is the kind of a book club I can get into. Limited membership. Short books. No regularly scheduled meetings." I said with a huge grin.

"Besides," he said, "My family always thought it was important to have words to live by and I liked Doc Savage's Motto." He read the words from one of the books:

'**Let me strive every moment of my life to make myself better and better, to the best of my ability, that all may profit by it. Let me think of the right and lend all my assistance to those who need it, with no regard for anything but justice. Let me take what comes with a smile, without loss of courage. Let me be considerate of my country, of my fellow citizens and my associates in everything I say and do. Let me do right to all, and wrong no man.'**

"Powerful words and amazing ideal," I said to Ranger. "I think you do a pretty good job."

"Thanks Babe."

He looked pleased with both himself and with me.

We sat quietly next to each other for a little bit while I thumbed one of the books.

Finally he said, "I _do_ have one guilty pleasure I don't think you've ever been exposed to. Tomorrow's my last day with you. I'd like to expose you to it. Are you willing?"

"I might be willing, depends on what it is. Can you tell me any more about it than it is your guilty pleasure?" I asked.

"No. You are in or you are out. I can live with your choice either way, it is a one time offer that will expire," he said looking at his watch, "in about five minutes when I kick you out so I can go to sleep."

Crap. "It's not going to wind up in the news or raising the cost of my health insurance, will it?" I asked, with Ranger it could be jumping out airplanes for all I knew.

"I can safely promise it won't impact anyone's insurance rates and you won't wind up in the news. I hate to pressure you," no you don't, "but I need to know and I'll have to make phone calls to set it up in the morning."

"Sure, count me in, I guess. What's the dress code?"

"Now that you've committed, you can't back out. So I can honestly tell you that the best part is there is no dress code. Clothes are optional, you can go with or without," he said with a very broad smile.

"It's time for you to go now Babe. See you in the morning at the office, we'll leave from there. Sweet dreams," he said. He left me with an amazing kiss and I found myself ushered out his door.

Damn it!!! What time did Our Lady of Perpetual Guilt open anyway? I was going to have to make an appointment with Father Frank now for sure.

I thought I was looking, but had I just stepped into it again? I didn't think about the possibility of a clothing optional contingency and we had never gotten around to resolving one freaking thing in our 'non-relationship' relationship.

What had I gotten into? Was this a trip to the infamous 'bat cave'? Was this a trip to a nudist colony? Was Ranger going to make a commitment to me and seal the deal by 'sealing the deal'? Probably not. Was this just another opportunity to see me squirm? Probably that was the most likely one.

I was in denial about this whole thing with Ranger. Yes, I was expanding my horizons. Yes, I had expanded my horizons with all of the guys. No, I didn't necessarily know what those horizons were going to be at the time. No, I hadn't been too afraid once the process started. Why was I getting myself so worked up about all of this?

♣♣♣

Ranger's e-mail was sent before 7:00 am, but I hadn't opened it. Evidently the energizer bunny had no problems reaching whoever it was he needed to reach to set up the day. OK, breathe and just open it. Fine. OK. Clothing optional, that's what he'd said last night and I was going to make sure I opted to keep my clothing, I wouldn't mind so much if he took his off.

The morning dragged a lot like the first workday of January had. I was finding myself looking at the clock hoping it would go faster and praying the hands didn't move at all. I was somewhere between terrified and excited and kept bouncing between the two mental states.

Finally, it was time for me to meet Ranger in the parking garage. He was completely casual in a pair of faded jeans that clung so in all the right places with another painted on shirt in an incredible blue and the requisite sunglasses. He looked like a human 'Joe Cool'. I on the other hand looked like me, no amount of make up was going to give me that 'suave and sophisticated' look. Maybe next time.

He wanted to check out a fancy new bistro in a swank part of town. When we pulled up, the hostess saw me initially and looked less than impressed; then she noticed who I was with and couldn't do enough for us while we waited for a table to come available. As Sally Sweet had been known to say, "You've got to know how to accessorize, man." No shit. Ranger was probably the best kind of an accessory any girl could ever ask for and he was appropriate for just about every occasion.

It was a lunch that proved to be very pretty on the plate and very tasty but not even enough food to feed Rex. By the time we were done eating, I was actually starving.

"Hey Ranger, can we stop someplace and get something real to eat now? I mean that was a lovely idea, but a girl could wither away here."

"I was thinking the same thing," he said with an easy laugh.

We found a sandwich place that was nearby and split whatever the daily special was. By the time we got done, it was past time for us to head to the appointment he had made for the two of us. I didn't worry about us being late. Traffic light fairy liked Ranger and made sure he got nothing but green lights. If it had been me, I would have been granted nothing but reds.

We finally arrived at a very discreet white building with a Koi pond and an oriental garden in the front. The sign in front of the building said, "Listen to Your Heart". It was an odd name for a business, whatever.

We walked in the front door to a large reception desk. The woman sitting behind the desk had just answered the phone as we walked up, "Listen to You Heart, we specialize in helping you find bliss. How can I help you?"

Ranger got her attention and she held up one finger for us to wait. We did.

Directly above the desk that had a large plaque that read:

Just for today, do not worry.

Just for today, do not anger.

Honor your parents, teachers, and elders.

Earn your living honestly.

Show gratitude to everything.

Nice. I wished I could live my life that way.

I was reading it when the girl sitting behind the reception desk said, "Welcome back Mr. Manoso, which treatment did you chose for today. I need to let Barbara know so she can finish getting the room ready."

He looked over at me and said, "Babe, clothes or no clothes?"

It looked like a reputable place, but I wasn't sure about the whole no clothes thing at a business, so I said, "Clothes."

"Marie, we'll be taking the Reiki treatment today."

"Very good. I'll let Barbara know. Can I get either of you anything?"

"Wine?" he asked me.

"Water, please," I said.

He held up two fingers indicating water. We each received a bottle from someone else while Marie went into the back room.

"What exactly are we doing here, Ranger?" I asked.

"Expanding your horizons, Babe."

"Come on, what are we doing?" I asked again sounding a bit like a petulant child.

"Today we're going to do Reiki. It's basically a healing treatment. We will each lay on a table with blankets to keep us from getting cold. The practitioner puts his or her hands on various spots on the body with the intention of sending healing energy to any parts of our bodies that might need it. The practitioner doesn't even have to know what it is that needs the healing energy. Reiki energy is kind of like water, it flows and goes where it is needed," he said.

"So why do you know so much about this?" I asked.

"I like having Reiki and other bodywork done, it's my favorite of my guilty pleasures. My job takes a lot out of my body and I try to give it what it needs to restore it. I have taken the training and do it myself, but I spend too much time alone. I crave the touch of other people sometimes, so I let someone else do it for me," he said with a smile.

"What exactly would we be doing if I had said 'no clothes'?" I asked.

"Probably either deep tissue massage or hot stones. It would depend on what you were open to, I've trained in them all and come here and get all of them done," he said.

Definitely this was not a side I would have anticipated from Ranger. Ranger probably also did the whole mani/pedi thing on the sly and never told anyone. Maybe he even did monthly facials; come on, there had to be a reason his skin always looked so nice. I tried to sneak a look at his hands, but he shoved them into his pockets before I had a chance. Seemed he'd turned his ESP back on.

We were escorted back to a smallish room with two massage tables covered in sheets. There was a small fountain in the corner and soft music playing on speakers somewhere. The room smelled faintly of mint and some kind of incense, it was exotic and warm. Something about the room felt safe and secure.

We each took off our shoes and got on the table. Evidently you were supposed to start on your back and move to your belly for the last half.

When the practitioner got started, it felt light, warm and gentle. I immediately fell asleep and Gary, my practitioner, had to wake me to roll over so he could do my back. I could have stayed there for hours and let him do his thing.

When it was finally over I felt calm and refreshed like I hadn't felt in an age.

"So is that how you usually feel after you do one of these treatments?" I asked.

"Usually. Sometimes calm. Sometimes energized. It depends on what is going on and what intention I set before the session started."

He led me behind the building to a labyrinth. We were supposed to stop and meditate about things as we went around it, mostly I just looked at Ranger. Hey, looking at his form was a calming thought, sometimes.

We headed back to the office to check in and see about dinner. Ella had outdone herself again. She made the most sumptuous chicken marsala I'd ever had with a rich flan for dessert. I could get used to having Ella cook for me always.

After dinner Ranger took me back to my apartment. He sat me down on the couch next to him. He looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm ready to answer your question. Do you want to talk?"

Shit. What question? I'd been asking him questions about all sort of things that he never seemed to get around to answering. 'Do you want to talk?' that's not Ranger. Ranger was Mr. 'Babe, we need to talk.' so this was either going to be a good thing or a bad thing.

"Sure Ranger, let's talk," I said crossing my fingers.

"So tell me, Babe, have you learned anything since you've started to 'expand your horizons'?"

"Can I think about that for a while, Ranger?" I asked.

"I'm not asking for you to do a thesis. I'd just like to know what things strike you about the whole experience."

"In a minute. Yeesh."

Sure. I'd learned all kinds of things. But what did he really want to hear?

Recently I found a copy of 'The Sweet Potato Queens Book of Love' by Jill Conner Browne. She said that one man is never really enough for any woman; rarely did one man have what it took to fulfill _all_ of a woman's needs. She also stated that unless you were sleeping with them, they could all be called boyfriends. When you started sleeping with someone with intent, then they became a fiancé whether or not you ever headed down the road to matrimony.

I was amazed that there were five specific categories of men that each woman needed. For example you need one man who can fix things. You need one man who you can dance with. You need one who can pay for things. You've got to have one you can talk to. The last man is the one you have great sex with. That was pretty handy, I currently had five men in my life. Evidently I had five boyfriends. Not bad, in one afternoon I went from no boyfriend to five just like that. Pretty impressive. I was still in a famine of sorts, but at least now I could safely say that I had boyfriends.

But enough of that ever so brief escape to denial. I doubted he would be happy with my answer. It was time to think about Ranger and how he wanted that question answered. How do you tell one man that _you fell in love_ with a different man each month? If my mother ever found out about this little confession, there wouldn't be enough Canadian Mist this side of the border for months AND she'd have me in Father Frank's office as soon as she possibly could.

Did Ranger want to hear that I fell in love with Tank? I mean I fell in love with the confidence he tried to instill in me. I fell in love with the way he looks at the world. I was awed that he was planning a life outside of this one, where his inner needs and passions could be met. I was impressed with his thoughtfulness of me on the camping trip by providing me some chocolate; probably Lula had warned him it would be a smart thing to do and that doughnuts wouldn't hold up. Tank was going to be a great husband and father some day, if he ever decided that's what he wanted.

Did he want to know that I fell in love with Lester? I mean the fact that Lester had so many more aspects to him than he wanted anyone to ever see; so many he hid from the world at large? Who would have ever guessed that Lester actually read more than the back of a cereal box? I never would have thought I would have the most clean cut Valentine's Day date in my entire life and love every minute of it, and it was all Lester. I had never credited myself for being aware of so many things at one time as I was with Lester; sometimes it was because he was trying to off balance me, and other times it was so we could literally move like one.

How would he feel about the fact that I loved Bobby for wanting to give so much to the community? The fact he literally had an unpaid part-time job as Scout Master to a bunch of kids who didn't necessarily have a lot of options. That he loved what he did so much that he wanted to share it with the whole and entire world, girlfriends included. I was amazed at the depths of his knowledge and willingness to work with the absolute novice. This isn't to mention the fact that instinctually he knew the best dives around and what their specials were and took little old me with him.

What about how I felt now about Hector? I didn't even know where to begin to see how I felt about Hector. In my entire life, no one had every gone to the extremes he had to make me feel like I was a lady worthy of respect. I had always opened my own doors and thought I would always have to fight my own battles, tend my own wounds. He had been a witness during some of my more embarrassing moments and yet he never teased me about any of them; only tried to give me comfort. I wasn't going to even go there about the way I felt when he kissed me. If nothing else, Hector had raised the standards for how I would let any future men treat me; I did deserve to be treated well and with respect. In a lot of ways, I guessed I loved him, too.

Was I in love with Ranger, too? Definitely. Of course. Maybe. Probably. I thought so. A lifetime ago, he had been teacher/mentor and then friend and now employer and still friend. He had proven himself to be quite the master gardener with me. When we first met I didn't know the first thing about fugitive apprehension and gradually got the skills to not only do it but to make a (sort of) living doing it. He selflessly helped me whenever I needed it, no matter the cost to him. He had always been confusing to me about being close and backing off; seemed he didn't know what he wanted either from me or from life. He was a man who continued to want his privacy, but I was fascinated by the things I'd learned both from him and about him during our month. In the past I felt like my life was an open book and I only got glimpses of pages of his life, now that I knew so much more about his, I was in awe, again.

I realized that I had lost any fear of any of the guys I worked with; now they were truly friends and I knew I could without doubt count on them in my personal life as well as professional. I knew that I would do whatever I could for each of them whenever they needed me. They no longer had to fit into the ideal I had created for them; they were all great people in their own rights. Each of them was 'worthy' of the title 'boyfriend' in the Sweet Potato sense.

I had gone outside of my little world, my comfort zone and done alright. I will probably never be a great painter, but now I could appreciate great art. I will probably never be a great dancer, but at least I know I can follow a lead. I still can't fix things, but no longer hesitate to make an attempt on my own before I give up. I will never be outdoor girl or wilderness girl, but I have a new found appreciation for running water and electricity. I still don't love eating vegetables, but now really appreciate the effort to bring them to harvest. I also realized that not all guilty pleasures needed to end in a trip to visit with Father Frank at OLPG (Our Lady of Perpetual Guilt).

Wow. I'd learned a lot. I'd deepened my relationship with each of the guys and now saw them as so much more than co-workers; they were truly good friends.

"Anything specific you wanted to know about what I might have learned?" I asked attempting to turn the tables on him.

"Just what stands out the most to you as a result of all of this," he said.

"Friendship. Respect. Trust," I said counting them off on my fingers.

"No details for me?" he teased.

"I think that about covers it for each of the guys and for you, too," I said. "It sounds like you are fishing for something specific. I can't answer something I'm not asked."

"Actually, you've answered a poorly phrased question well. Now I think it is time for me to answer your question," he said looking at me intently.

_A/N: Nope my Spanish is not that good, I can take credit for a lot of things, but I won't even consider taking credit for that. __**"**__**To My Lady of Poetry," translated by Kay Short, appear in Alfonsina Storni, "Selected Poems," edited by Marion Freeman. White Pine Press. Copyright © 1987 Marion Freeman, Mary Crow, Jim Normington and Kay Short.)**__ USED WITHOUT PERMISSION._

_The next chapter is the conclusion…..thanks for reading! Alf_


	22. Chapter 22

**Standard disclaimers are boring but they all apply. There's been no money changing hands, no fame and fortune to be had nor damsels saved. Alas, maybe next time.**

_**Warning: This is a little angsty- but read it through to the end, there will be an HEA.**_

**To: Cecile, Deb, Jaime, Kate Manoso, Kate MMO, Luisa and Melody, I have learned from each of you and thank you for the gift of joy and self awareness you've all given me.**

_**Jaime, without you I never would have had the courage to try, the patience to edit, redo and start again. You've seen this whole project through and it never would have gotten off the ground if not for you. Te quiero. Alf**_

♣

"_Actually, you've answered a poorly phrased question well. Now I think it is time for me to answer your question," he said looking at me intently. _

**Stephanie's Gamble**

**By Alfonsina**

**Chapter 22 **♣ **The Conclusion**

"Truthfully, I've spend the whole month of May thinking about it," he said looking at me intently. "I have it all. I wanted it all and I have it all. I don't think there are any pieces missing."

"Come again?" This was coming out of left field and had absolutely nothing to do with what we'd just been talking about. At least I didn't think it did. Did it?

"I was answering your question about what I want from my life. You asked it quite a while ago. I wanted it all and I have it. My family is safe. I have a beautiful daughter. My business is successful. I have good friends," he said as he tapped his finger on my nose.

"I've had a hard time abiding the rules of the poker game from New Year's Eve. While I've tried to do things with you that fit the 'PG rated' and that could be witnessed by anybody, my thoughts around you aren't always of the wholesome and clean cut variety. I really didn't want to make things harder or more confusing for you than I already had. Besides, I know," he said. "I know about Hector."

I felt my eye twitch.

"Know what about Hector?" I asked.

"I know that he's not gay. I know that he's interested in you. I know that he is actually very traditional and he's probably after a serious commitment; the ring, the kids, the dog, everything."

"How long have you known? I just found out recently that he wasn't gay. Most of what you are saying to me now is news to me," I said.

"Babe, the poker game on New Year's Eve was his idea and then he talked the guys into it. He said that he thought it would be a great way for all of them to be able to get to know you without any stress or pressure. He made sure that no matter which of us 'won' you would be the biggest loser so you'd have to spend time with each of us.

"He's just lucky you didn't win. I don't think any of the guys would have handled painting your parents' house in front of Grandma Mazur," he said.

Well that was something to think about. Hector really had wanted to get to know me for a while.

Ranger leaned back into the sofa and looked uncomfortable. He looked at his hands for a while and then he said quietly, "You know when you commented on his manners weeks ago you were right. He talked to me at the office the day we got back from the camping trip. He was upfront and eloquent. He also asked me to be a man. Babe, it's been years since someone said that to me.

"He said he'd had his month with you and then I'd have mine. Then he asked me if I was going to make a real attempt to have a relationship with you; if not, he wanted me out of the way so he could have a fair chance at your affections. He even gave one month's notice on his resignation so that I knew he was serious. It all made me realize I wasn't being fair with you."

Jesus, Mary and Joseph. He'd actually resigned? He'd never said a word. Actually neither one of them had said a word.

"Despite the tattoos and the couple bad years he had here, he is a good man. I can only assume if he asked you about the possibility of having a relationship," he said looking me in the eyes.

"A while ago, yes," I said.

"And what was your answer?" he asked.

"That it was complicated," I said.

"Steph, you know that answer doesn't really work. I would've let you get away with it because I wasn't sure what to do about you, either. There is no denying the physical between us, even the affection and love at some level. The reality is that I'm gone almost as much as I'm here and you would be a part-time girlfriend or lover at best. You deserve more than that. You deserve to have it all, everything you could possibly want, everything your heart desires. If I thought I could keep you forever on the part-time basis, I would do it in a heartbeat. But you would tire of it and end up hating me. I couldn't stand that."

"Sounds like you are giving me up pretty easily, Ranger. Sounds like you either don't really want me or you don't think I am worth the effort. I wanted you for so long, it hurts to hear that you don't want me," I said, hoping that my voice didn't crack.

"Babe, that's not it at all," he said. "I'd rather keep what we have than lose you altogether. I have never had a successful relationship, ever. You're the closest thing I've had to a serious relationship for years, and most of that time you were attached to someone else. I used Morelli as my own safety net; I didn't have to get closer and I never had to worry about losing you. It wasn't much but I was happy with what I could get."

"But Morelli is gone from my life now," I said quietly. "He's been gone for months."

"Exactly. Now I have to put more effort in; contemplate what is best for me and for you."

I knew I wasn't going to like this, so I looked at the floor. I was going to need to rent a carpet cleaner soon, it looked awful and I can't remember the last time I vacuumed. Probably I'd need to dust after I vacuumed the place. I wondered if the furniture needed a coat of wax, too.

Ranger went on, "I've been looking into your future. If things stay like they are, in 10 or 20 years you won't have a real home of your own, you won't have kids or a family, and you will wonder what happened with your life, where it all went. I can't do that to either of us.

"I never planned to have kids. Julie was a happy accident and the product of a miserable marriage. I hadn't thought I'd live to see 30, so every day for me is a bonus. The fact that you are a part of my life is a huge deal to me," he said, "and of all the things I am willing to risk, I won't risk you, ever. I need you in my life. Your friendship means everything to me."

Friendship, not love. It felt like I had been stabbed with a knife and now the handle was being twisted.

I closed my eyes somewhere during his 'talk' and couldn't even raise my face to him. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my body and handed back to me still bloody and beating.

In my life whenever a relationship died, it usually went out in a blaze of glory. Yelling, screaming, china hurled on walls. This felt so much worse than that.

The awful thing was that he hadn't ever meant to hurt me or to lead me on and he really hadn't. He had just been Ranger. He'd never lied and he'd never made any promises.

In a lot of ways a long term, committed relationship with Ranger was a pipedream that I hadn't shared with anyone, not Ranger and most especially not even myself. I thought that if I wanted it long enough and if I became a big enough part of his life, I would eventually get what I thought I wanted from him.

The dream was now gone.

The balloon had been burst.

It was time to dust myself off and think about starting over, again.

"You know a couple of months ago I wouldn't have thought we'd ever have this conversation. In the last month I've thought about it, constantly. I definitely hadn't thought it would happen tonight or I would have brought a good hankie for you to use," he said with a sad smile. "I had planned to see if you wanted dinner, tease you, maybe kiss you a little and go home. This conversation was never going to be in the cards for tonight, I was going to put it off for another couple of months or longer, if I could. I'm a selfish bastard and wanted to keep what I've had with you. Then when I really thought about it, I realized I can't do it to you anymore; it's not fair to you. Christ, I never wanted to hurt you like this."

He reached into his pocket and picked up his cell phone. He said about five words in Spanish and hung up.

"Babe, I should probably go. Hector will be here in a few minutes," he said.

"What?"

"I don't want you to be alone and hurting; I shouldn't be the one with you right now. He really is a good friend for you," he said.

"In that case, can you read something and tell me what it says?" I asked.

He nodded.

I went to the bedroom and handed him the note from Hector. He read it and smiled.

"Well, he's like me. He doesn't waste a lot of words," Ranger said.

"That isn't telling me a hell of a lot. What does it say?" I was getting cranky. I was hurt and now it felt like he was playing with me like I was a cat toy.

"Alright. You asked. He addresses it to you and then it says:

_  
I don't want you to be mad at me.  
I don't want to lose you. Ever._

_You are very special to me._

_I give you a kiss and all of my affection,  
Always,_

"Then he signs it with his initial.

"Babe, I could have written you this note about tonight, down to the initial C. Is there any reason why would you be mad at him?"

"Just a misunderstanding that got compounded. That was a while ago, it's all OK now," I said. It seemed that I've had a lot of miscommunications that I let get compounded.

"He'll be here in a couple of minutes. Do you want for me to wait for him to come or should I just go now?"

I felt resigned, "Do whatever makes you happy Ranger. I'll be OK."

"I'll just wait then."

We sat together, my head on his shoulder. I felt desperately like crying. An eternity later, but probably no more than ten minutes had passed, there was a knock on the door. I didn't bother to get up, so Ranger answered it.

They had a brief exchange and Ranger left. He told me he would see me at the office a in a couple of days. I guessed that he was giving me some time off; at that moment I wasn't sure of much.

I just nodded dumbly.

Hector moved over to the sofa and sat next to me. He held me like he did once before. It still felt comfortable and right.

He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. He sighed.

I just let the tears fall, there wasn't much I could do about them. Periodically, I'd blow my nose but mostly I just let the emotion escape my body.

I had no idea how long we sat like that. It could have been a minute, an hour or even a day. Finally, I started to yawn and I knew that this was not altogether a comfortable position for an entire night. I struggled out of his arms and off of the sofa. I turned off the lights in the apartment and returned to the sofa to offer him my hand. I led him into the darkened bedroom.

I toed off my shoes and so did he. I laid down on top of the bed and he laid next to me. It was a little awkward, but nice.

Finally I rolled over so I could face him and said the only thing that came to mind, "Hi." Profound but to the point, Shakespeare wasn't someone I could channel at that moment. Frankly I felt lucky to get as much as 'hi' out of my mouth.

"Hi," he said as he rolled over to face me. "You going to be OK? Or do I need to hurt Ranger?"

"I think there's been enough hurting done tonight, thanks," I said. After some time passed I asked him, "Have you ever had a dream die?"

He just looked at me, probably not.

He blew out a long sigh and it looked like he was trying to make up his mind before he spoke again.

"The perfect son with his own family by 25," he finally said. "I will be 25 in the fall. I have no wife, no girlfriend, no children, no house. I also have a past now that no one else in my family has. I am no longer the perfect son, I am far from it. My brother, Chuy, is now the perfect son. He was always second, now he's first to do it all; he's even doing some of it early." He let out a deep breath.

He knew. It hurt. He loved his brother, but his brother had done what he couldn't. It only mattered to them and no one else.

Wow. I wasn't the only one.

"Was it your dream or someone else's?" I asked.

"It was my mother's and I heard it so much it became mine," he said. I knew about those kinds of dreams, my mother had them for me.

He looked at me and said, "You are not part of that dream."

Oh. Ouch.

"There could be a different one."

Oh. 'Is that better?' I wondered to myself.

"You and I can make our own dreams; make our own choices. No one else needs to matter. What do you think?"

"I think I need to think. I am almost in my favorite position to think," I said as I re-arranged my body to conform against his. "There. Now I am in my favorite position to think." I had placed my hand over his heart, moved my head down his chest and placed my leg between his.

I was emotionally exhausted from the night's events. I closed my eyes and was out. I don't know whether or not Hector slept initially. I woke up twice to go to the bathroom and his body was always in the same place when I came back; it seemed almost like he was afraid if he moved I wouldn't be back. I found my old afghan near the foot of the bed and used it to cover us both before I crawled back on the bed the second time.

When light started to come through the window, I woke again. I was still with Hector on top of the blankets under the afghan. He must have fallen asleep because our positions had shifted. He reversed it so he had his head on my shoulder, arms around my waist and his leg between mine. I couldn't resist stroking his hair. I shouldn't have, but I did and when I did, it woke him up.

"Go back to sleep," I whispered.

He had lifted his head to see me.

"No. If this is a dream, I don't want to change dreams. If it is real, I like it," he said in a rough voice.

"It's real, go back to sleep. I'll still be here later," I said.

He lowered his head back to my chest, moved his hand under my shirt to touch my tummy and sighed. His hand seemed to have a magnet in it, it gravitated there. I actually liked the feeling a lot.

He was out for the count this time.

He woke up several hours later; I'd spent the whole time playing with his hair or rubbing his back.

"You aren't a dream," he said.

"Nope."

"You OK? Want me to leave?"

"I'm OK. Don't leave. I've been thinking," I said quietly.

"About?"

"You. Me. The question you asked after the camping trip."

"What question?"

"'Do you want a boyfriend?' I finally have an answer. The answer is 'no', not right now. I want to lick my wounds for a while first."

"I know about licking your wounds, I've done it."

"Yeah, it's not a lot of fun. I just don't want to jump into something before I'm ready. If we started something right now, you'd always wonder if I chose you when I was on the rebound and not for who you are. But someday, soon I hope, I'll want more. For now, I'd really like to stay friends. Are you good with that?"

"Of course, nena. Anything you want, you just let me know," he said with a bit of a sigh.

"We should get up. It's," I looked over to the clock, "10:30. Besides, we should get something to eat."

We got off the bed. I went to the living room to grab my purse. He went into the kitchen to check the contents of my fridge.

"I thought we were going to get something to eat," I said.

"I told you before, I cook," he said sticking his nose back in the fridge. He found a bunch of stuff that looked to me like 'ingredients' and not at all like 'food' and put them on the counter. He started digging through my cabinets and found a skillet, a bowl and a cutting board.

He chopped a little of this and that. Stuck it all in a mixing bowl and beat eggs into it. Finally he poured it into a skillet that he placed on top of the stove to cook for a while.

I decided to help out, so I pulled out a couple of plates, glasses and cutlery. I set the table while he was still doing the whole prep thing. He didn't want any help and had things under control so I went into the living room and turned on the radio to something jazzy and nondescript.

Turned out that breakfast was a crustless quiche kind of a thing. It was amazing. Who knew you could make something succulent out of leftovers? Maybe I needed to look into this cooking thing. Then again, maybe not.

After we ate, I told him I would clean up and he should go. He needed to do whatever he needed to do for the day.

He wasn't smiling when he kissed me on cheek. He headed out the door and said, "Hasta luego, nena."

♣♣♣

Six weeks later ….

Ranger and I had settled into a more comfortable friendship, no expectations just friendship. By mutual consent, meals on the seventh floor were restricted to lunches only. There weren't any more kisses or lingering touches, I missed that but we both knew that it couldn't go on any longer. It wasn't fair to either of us, really. Once we talked about it and both agreed, things relaxed. He was still a temptation in his own right, then again he would probably always remain a temptation to me, just like chocolate.

Hector really did change jobs and go to work for his cousin. He said it was for the best and he was probably right. At first it was odd not seeing him every day at work, but things had picked back up at work so there really wasn't that much time to think about it.

Hector had still wanted me to work with him on his vocabulary for the TOEFL. We got together two to three evenings a week and reviewed stuff from the books. Sometimes we'd meet at my place and others we'd go to his aunt's house; he'd moved back in with her for the short term. We even went to a couple of movies together; an action movie for him and a chick flick for me.

We fell into a very comfortable friendship. There was still the kiss 'hello' and 'good bye' and sometimes he put his arm around my shoulder, but he didn't try to take things any further. Things were nice. Comfortable. Friendly.

Overall, I'd say I was healing nicely.

♣♣♣

Late August …

Hector was able to finally take the TOEFL. Taking the test took the pressure off of him to study and off of me always worrying about correcting him. It meant that his future had indeed opened back up for him and he could start applying to local colleges. He hoped he could start as early as the next spring.

I found myself counting on his friendship more and more. He'd become a very solid and stable presence in my life, one that I valued. I always looked forward to seeing him.

I panicked when I realized that he wouldn't have a reason to see me anymore. He didn't need me anymore. I had lost my excuse to see him, too.

Wednesday night when I was in the tub soaking and shaving, I thought about our conversation so long ago; at least it seemed so long ago, about what he said he wanted. I didn't want to admit it, but I'd spent quite a bit of time thinking about it, too.

He had wanted a commitment. I needed to find out what that meant to him. I knew it was at least monogamy, but more probably marriage. I knew that Hector saw himself as traditional and would never live with me unless we were married. Maybe Ranger was right and it was something I did want. I knew with certainty I didn't want to share or be shared so monogamy was good.

He was obviously smart and caring.

My moodiness didn't scare him away. He knew the mood would most likely end if left in peace. He seemed to enjoy comforting me and he did it well. I had witnessed him do it when no one else could or even wanted to.

He was continuing his education. It took a lot of courage to pick up career studies in another country, in a new language. Wow. That was something I had never considered doing.

There was a line from a movie, Blast from the Past, "Good manners are the gift we give to others." It was him, it described him perfectly. He never made me feel out of step or out of place even if I couldn't follow the conversation. He always made sure I was comfortable and taken care of. He was easy to be around.

He was one of the best kissers I'd experienced. Ranger was good, but his kisses were completely different. Ranger's kisses were about temptation, passion and fire. Hector's kisses were full of peace, desire and seemed to ask a question 'do you want me'. His kisses looked for a return of the desire, of the wanting. It has been a while since we'd shared a kiss like that, but the memories were delicious.

If his kissing was any indicator of what his other skills would be like between the sheets, I was going to be in for a treat.

Crap. I was going to have to introduce him to the family as my boyfriend, if things went well. I could only hope that everyone would be on their best behavior and not ask too many questions about his tattoos. Then again, he might be able to play dumb and pretend he didn't understand the questions when they came up. I wondered whether or not he likes pot roast.

It was a lot to think about. As I thought about it I realized I liked most of what I had come up with so far. Sure, there were unanswered questions, but I wasn't feeling upset or uncomfortable about what those answers might be. I was actually looking forward to exploring the answers with him, if he wanted to explore them with me.

♣♣♣

We went to a small Chinese place for dinner the Saturday night after the test, my treat because it was his celebration. Because it seemed ingrained in both of us, we choose to sit at a booth in the back of the restaurant next to each other. We both ordered a stir fried something or other. The evening was comfortable and that feeling had become normal for us.

I was biding my time and I knew it. I wasn't sure how to bring up the subject, but decided that it was now or never. We were done eating and there was almost no tea left in the pot. If I didn't start the conversation now, I knew I'd never have the nerve to do it.

"Do you remember the discussion we had the day we got back from the Boy Scouts' camping weekend?" I asked.

He looked down and started to toy with his tea cup. He said, "I already apologized for what happened those nights. You aren't still holding that against me?"

"No. No, no, no, no, no," I said; I really needed to work on my vocabulary one of these days. "That's not it. And so you know, I've never held it against you. But I'm thinking more about the question you asked me that afternoon when we got back," I said hoping he would remember.

"We said about a lot of things, I don't know what you are talking about," he said.

Maybe he did and maybe he didn't. For once in my life, I wasn't going to beat around the bush. There was too much at stake for me not to be upfront in this conversation.

I sucked in a deep breath and slowly let it out, then I said, "You asked me, 'Do you want a boyfriend?'"

He looked down. He remembered not only the question, but the answer.

"You said it was 'complicated' and then later you said 'no'," he said talking to his hands.

"True, I needed to have some time alone, without a romantic entanglement or the prospect of one. But I think I'm done with needing to be alone. I've realized there's somebody in my life and I think he's pretty special," I said. While I was talking to him, I picked up his free hand and held it in mine.

Before he could answer, I decided to make sure he was still available and possibly interested. I was pretty sure, but I could be wrong.

"Is there anyone special in your life right now?" I asked, hoping the answer was no.

"Stephanie, you know I'm not dating anyone. _You_ are the closest thing I've had to a girlfriend in a long time and we're _just_ friends," he said a little tersely, but at least he was looking me in the eye. They were the right words, the ones I'd wanted to hear, but the tone was throwing me. Crap.

I dropped his hand. It was my turn to look down and play with my tea cup. This wasn't going especially well for me. What little mental rehearsal I'd done for this wasn't matching up in the least.

He went on, "Getting back to this guy you're interested in, do I know him? As your friend, I think I should help you make this decision, I'm a good judge of character."

"Yes. You know him," I said with a small smile.

"What's he like?" he asked, voice still a little hard.

"He's a good man. In fact, I guess you could say he's a lot like you," I said.

"You couldn't be that lucky to find two of us who are both charming, good looking and smart," he said attempting to tease me.

"He's definitely that and more. Sweet, funny, nice, good kisser," I said.

"It'd better not be Lester, I don't like him for you," he said. Immediately I noticed there was a jealous tone in his voice.

"It's not Lester or any of the guys who works for Ranger right now," I said with a slightly bigger smile.

"Is he Latin?"

It looked like he wanted me to spell it all out for him, so I did.

"Technically he's American, but he wasn't raised here. He was raised in Mexico, I think."

There was a very deep breath let out, I don't know which of us did it. Hector looked relieved but still a little concerned.

"Mexican guys can be very Don Juan 'love them and leave them'. They tend to all think 'American' women are fast and pressure them to 'give it up' quickly. That kind of a man isn't for you," he said in all seriousness.

"I don't want that either. From what I've been told this guy wants a relationship, a commitment." I waited before I continued, "I want that, too."

I started playing with all the things that were still sitting out on the table. I was nervous and needed to do something, anything to distract myself.

"Good to know. Anything else?" he asked.

"I think he likes me for me. He sees more in me than I see in myself. He seems to like to spend time with me."

"How do you feel about him?" he asked quietly. He put his hand over mine so I'd quit fidgeting.

"I like what I know so far. But," I started.

"But what?" he asked.

"I'm not sure what he wants now. Things have changed a lot for him since I've first gotten to know him. He may not be interested in me that way anymore."

"Go on."

"Anyway I've wanted to talk to him about this for a long time, but I was afraid it was going to sound like I was on the rebound," I said.

"Were you on the rebound?" he asked.

"Initially I might have been, but now I realize not so much as I thought. I'd had my feelings hurt, but the more I thought about it the more I realized Ranger really never would have been Mr. Right in the long run. He really couldn't offer me a future; well actually he could but he didn't want to," I said.

"And you are looking for a future, for a commitment?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. The question I have for you now is, are you ready for that?" I asked.

"Depends on the woman," he said.

"If it were me?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"In that case, Canelo, do you want a girlfriend?" I asked.

He leaned over and kissed me deeply and asked, "Any more questions?"

"Just one more," I said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Did you really think this was how things were going to turn out on New Year's Eve? It was one hell of a gamble." I said.

"It was a gamble, but I think we both won."

Seemed that last New Year's Eve when I'd been declared the 'Biggest Loser' turned out I was actually the one who won the big prize.

The end.

_A/N: I know a lot of you had been hoping, chanting, begging for a Ranger ending. Hector just wouldn't let that happen no matter how hard I tried, his will won out. _

_Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it._


End file.
